electronics in motion and conversion december 2008 in motion and conversion december 2008. ... role...

ZKZ 64717

12-08ISSN: 1863-5598

Electronics in Motion and Conversion December 2008

Knowledge isKnowledge is powerpower is our knowis our knowledge

Fuji Electric Device Technology Europe GmbHGoethering 58 · 63067 Offenbach am Main · GermanyFon +49(0)69 - 66 90 29 0 · Fax +49(0)69 - 66 90 29 56 · [email protected] · www.fujielectric.de

Fuji_advertisement_10/08.indd 1 16.10.2008 12:54:24 Uhr

C O N T E N T S

1www.bodospower.com December 2008 Bodo´s Power Systems®www.bodospower.com December 2008 Bodo´s Power Systems®

Viewpoint

Believe in Santa and in His Deliveries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Blue Product of the Month

Industry’s Smallest HDMI Wire-Wound

Common-Mode Choke Coil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Guest Editorial

Sustainable Energy Through Power Eectronics

By Gilbert Declerck, President and Chief Executive Officer of IMEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Market

Electronics Industry Digest

By Aubrey Dunford, Europartners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Market

Major Shifts Threaten DC-DC Converter Market

By Jeff Shepard, President, Darnell Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17

Cover Story

Continuous monitoring is important in backup battery applications

By Alan Denny, LEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-21

IGBT Modules

EconoPACK™4, the next generation of robust

and reliable power modules

By Wilhelm Rusche, Infineon Technologies AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-26

Power Modules

Power Semiconductors Take the Lead for Pulse Power Applications

By Adriaan Welleman and Björn Backlund, ABB Switzerland Ltd, Semiconductors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-29

Driver

Simple tools for MOSFET driver selection

By Cliff Ellison, Microchip Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31

Capacitors

Capacitor Advances for Leaner, Faster, Power Distribution

By Erik Reed, Kemet Electronics Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-33

Power Management

Power Management Device for Door Zone Systems

By Martina Giuffrida and Giovanni Torrisi, STMicroelectronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34-37

Power Supply

Time Controlled Power-Save Mode

By Markus Matzberger, Portable Power Systems Engineer, TI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38-41

Test & Measurement

Integrating PID Controllers into Automated Processes via Ethernet

By Sean Wilkinson, Watlow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-43

New Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44-48

Inductors made from Magnetics Kool Mμ® E-coresrun cooler than those made with discreet airgap ferrites. Ferrite material, with its high initial

permeability, requires a relatively large air gap to achieve a

low effective permeability. The built-in distributed air gap of

Kool Mu E-cores eliminates the fringing flux issue.

Kool Mμ E-cores are available in a wide range of sizes (19

mm to 160 mm) and four permeabilities (26, 40, 60 and

90μ). Hardware is also available.

Is Your Gap Hot?

Go from Hot to Cool... with Kool Mμ®

Inductors made with ungapped Kool Mμ E-cores

run cooler than those made with ferrite E-cores.

MAGNETICS USA • PO BOX 11422 • PITTSBURGH, PA 15238TOLL-FREE: 1.800.245.3984 • PHONE: 412.696.1333 • FAX: 412.696.0333EMAIL: [email protected] • WEB: www.mag-inc.com

MAGNETICS INTERNATIONALPHONE: +852.3102.9337 • EMAIL: [email protected]

2 Bodo´s Power Systems® December 2008 www.bodospower.com

TThhee GGaalllleerryy

Naturalmatch!

Features+15V/-10V gate voltage

3W output power

20A gate current

80ns delay time

Direct and half-bridge mode

Parallel operation

Integrated DC/DC converter

Electrical isolation for 1700V IGBTs

Power supply monitoring

Short-circuit protection

Fast failure feedback

Superior EMC

2SP0320 is the ultimate driver platform for PrimePACKTM IGBT

modules. As a member of the CONCEPT Plug-and-play driver

family, it satisfies the requirements for optimized electrical

performance and noise immunity. Shortest design cycles are

achieved without compromising overall system efficiency in

any way. Specifically adapted drivers are available for all

module types. A direct paralleling option allows integrated

inverter design covering all power ratings. Finally, the highly

integrated SCALE-2 chipset reduces the component count

by 80% compared to conventional solutions, thus signifi-

cantly increasing reliability and reducing cost. The drivers are

available with electrical and fiberoptic interfaces.

PrimePACKTM is a trademark of Infineon Technologies AG, Munich

2SP0320

SAMPLES AVAILABLE!

CT-Concept Technologie AG, Renferstrasse 15, CH-2504 Biel, Switzerland, Phone +41-32-344 47 47 www.IGBT-Driver.com

Bodo´s Power Systems® December 2008 www.bodospower.com

The annual Christmas drawing has taken

place, entries with pictures of locomotives

went into the drawing and the winners have

been notified. While all those who participat-

ed will get a little present from Santa, there

are three very happy children out there who

won. Entries came in from all over the world

confirming that my magazine has global cov-

erage. The world developed into a single

market place a long time ago, design and

manufacturing have spread out, most com-

panies operate globally and my gifts find

children everywhere.

The year 2008 with its disaster scenario in

world finance has shown a need to focus on

sustainable and long-term strategies. Elec-

tronica in Munich highlighted engineers as

innovators advancing technical solutions for

a better world. The SPS/IPC/DRIVES show

demonstrated power electronic systems

achieving higher efficiency. Reducing power

consumption is one of the greatest ways to

overcome limited power resources. Take a

look at Arunjai Mittal’s Guest Editorial in the

November issue which highlights the

prospects for efficient energy utilization.

Renewable and alternative power sources

are complementing pathways for future

development.

A very successful veteran of power electron-

ics and former PCIM Conference Director,

Jean-Marie Peter, started his career when

he was seven years old with a Marklin train

that his grandfather put under the Christmas

tree for him. Understanding the physical

basis of running the loco on ac power was

his inspiration to become an engineer and,

now, Jean-Marie has given his train set to

one of his grandchildren. What worked once

could work again.

Frank Vernon Jorgensen at SEMICON in

Stuttgart suggested another great way to

inspire future engineers by taking older

school children on field trips to see technical

innovation happening, such as the CERN

labs in Grenoble, where physics comes

down to the very basics of understanding

our universe. He told me that after such a

recent field trip a number of the children

found their way into physics and engineer-

ing. America will have Mr. Obama as their

new President in 2009 and the world

expects him to get the Wall Street crisis

under control. I wish that a similar worldwide

focus would be put on the best possible edu-

cation for children. Education is an asset

that cannot erode; it is a platform resilient to

the changes in our world. In addition to the

joy it brings me to see the happy winners,

this the basis for my gifts being educational

toys. PCIM will be the next big event where

you might be lucky enough to win a train set.

My Green Power tip for this month:

Spend your resources on good education for

your children; lead them by example to an

understanding of the physics and opportuni-

ties for efficient energy usage in heating,

cooling and lighting your household. Closing

doors, turning down heating and turning off

lights that are not needed will result in a

great reduction of your energy consumption.

And the right toys will be extra fun. There is

a lot we can do for our children’s future.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Bodo Arlt

Believe in Santa andin His Deliveries

Events

Power Electronics 2008

Moscow

December 2-4

http://www.powerelectronics.ru

APEC 2009

Washington DC

February 13- 21

http://apec-conf.org

Embedded 2009

Nuremberg Germany

March 3-5

http://www.embedded-world.de

EMC 2009

Stuttgart Germany

March 10- 12

http://www.e-emv.com

V I E W P O I N T

4

A MediaKatzbek 17a

D-24235 Laboe, Germany

Phone: +49 4343 42 17 90

Fax: +49 4343 42 17 89

[email protected]

www.bodospower.com

Publishing EditorBodo Arlt, [email protected]

Creative Direction & ProductionRepro Studio Peschke

[email protected]

Free Subscription to qualified readers

Bodo´s Power Systems

is available for the following

subscription charges:

Annual charge (12 issues) is 150 €

world wide

Single issue is 18 €

[email protected]

circulation

printrun

25000

Printing by:

Central-Druck Trost GmbH & Co

Heusenstamm, Germany

A Media and Bodos Power Systems

assume and hereby disclaim any

liability to any person for any loss or

damage by errors or omissions in the

material contained herein regardless of

whether such errors result from

negligence accident or any other cause

whatsoever.

N E W S


Over 1400 conference delegates and trade

fair visitors in Hamburg

H2Expo, 7th International Conference and

Trade Fair on Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Tech-

nologies, has again confirmed its position as

a major international innovation forum. It

attracted more than 1400 conference dele-

gates and exhibition visitors, providing them

with information on the latest developments

and products at this two day event at CCH-

Congress Center Hamburg. About 40% of

conference participants were from abroad.

Interest in the trade fair was also strong, with

a wide range of application examples from

some 50 exhibitors. The “H2 in Action” sec-

tion featured a series of fuel cell powered

vehicles, including the first presentation of a

new mobile hydrogen fuelling station by

Linde Gas.

“This has once more demonstrated the great

importance of H2Expo as an information

platform for this forward-looking industry,”

said Bernd Aufderheide, CEO of Hamburg

Messe und Congress GmbH. “H2Expo was

an excellent opportunity to present flagship

projects to an expert audience in this inter-

national context. Hamburg is a leader in this

field.” He added that the concept of holding

the event at two-year intervals was working

well. “We are very pleased with the rise in

exhibitor and visitor numbers.”

“H2Expo in Hamburg plays a very significant

role in the development and transfer of

hydrogen and fuel cell technology,” said Dr.

Subhash Singhal of Pacific Northwest Labo-

ratory, USA. Together with Professor Wolf-

gang Winkler of the Hamburg University of

Applied Sciences, he was chairing the con-

ference, which provided a forum for

exchange on experience and results

between experts from Europe, Asia and the

US. Professor Winkler emphasised that the

conference and trade fair were particularly

important for Hamburg as one of the leading

centres of the maritime and aviation indus-

tries, “in particular for economic develop-

ment”. He added that the trade fair and con-

ference acted as an interface between

research organisations and international cor-

porations.

H2Expo was described as “one of Europe’s

most important technical and scientific

events in hydrogen technology” by Dr.-Ing.

Gerd Würsig of the sponsoring organisation

Germanischer Lloyd. He highlighted in par-

ticular the diversity of exhibitors, and their

high quality. And he also mentioned the

high-ranking delegates at the symposium

and the various workshops.

“Hamburg is indispensable for us,” said

Werner Hoyer of the German Aerospace

Centre (DLR). He mentioned DLR’s close

cooperation with Deutsche Airbus GmbH, for

which DLR was developing a fuel cell for

emergency power supply on board the Air-

bus A320, and hence the vital role of Ham-

burg and H2Expo. “And we will be building

on our cooperation with Airbus,” he added.

Hans-Jürgen Heinrich of Airbus Deutschland

said “We have had a lot of discussions with

other users interested in fuel cell system

applications in maritime and aviation proj-

ects”. These are examples of the outstand-

ing opportunities at H2Expo for generating

synergies in the use of fuel cell tech¬nolo-

gies and applying them in practice.

“Hamburg is now the hydrogen hotspot in

Germany,” said Dr. Joachim Kroemer of Pro-

ton Motor. Proton presented their fuel cell

powered commercial vehicle EcoCarrier

HY3, developed in cooperation with Wilhelm

Karmann GmbH. “We had very good

response to our innovative product,” he said.

“H2Expo is an important forum for exchange

between suppliers and users,” said Keno

Leites of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG.

He felt the conference had a strong interna-

tional position, enabling vital exchanges on

technical innovations.

“I am surprised to see so many participants

from abroad here at H2Expo,” said Dr. Claus

Fischer of Heliocentris Energiesysteme

GmbH, reporting good to very good visitor

figures at his company’s stand.

Huau-Ruei Shiu of the Industrial Technology

Research Institute from Taiwan stressed the

importance of exchanges on the different

scientific approaches in Asia and Europe,

highlighting the important role played by

H2Expo in this respect.

Christian Tuchel of Linde AG noted the great

interest shown by trade visitors in the joint

stand of the Hamburg Initiative for Fuel Cell

and Hydrogen Technology. He stressed the

importance of H2Expo in demonstrating the

good cooperation between government,

research and users. “One of the major func-

tions of this fair is to attract public attention

to current and future projects in this indus-

try.”

The Zemships conference (Zero Emission

Ships) was held for the first time in the

framework of H2Expo, and met with very

good response, according to conference

chairman Heinrich Klingenberg, CEO hySO-

LUTIONS. He said that H2Expo had given

visitors an opportunity to experience techni-

cal applications in fuel cell technologies in

practice, “for example by excursions on the

world’s first fuel-cell powered passenger ves-

sel.” The important role of Hamburg for

development and application of hydrogen

and fuel cell technology was emphasised by

Marieke Reijalt, Executive Director of the

European Hydrogen Association, at the

Zemships Conference. “Hamburg is setting

an example, with a whole range of applica-

tions in this sector. That is important for the

political work at European level.”

The next H2Expo – 8th International Confer-

ence and Trade Fair for Hydrogen and Fuel

Cell Technologies, will be held at CCH-Con-

gress Center Hamburg in October 2010.

www.h2expo.de

H2Expo Confirmed as Key Innovation Forum

In 2008, the German branch of Mitsubishi

Electric Europe B.V, based in Ratingen

celebrates its 30th anniversary. In addition

to a summer event held for around 500

employees and their families on June

20th 2008, an anniversary event for an

expected 400 customers and partners is

due to be held in October 2008. “For 30

years our German branch has been an

essential part of the European business of

Mitsubishi Electric. The excellent achieve-

ments and the constant success of our

company are due to our committed employees, business partners

and customers”, explains Noriaki Himi, German Branch President.

The branch, opened in 1978 is situated close to the city of Düsseldorf

and develops and distributes the electric and electronic products of

its parent company Mitsubishi Electric Corporation in Tokyo. Around

500 employees, originating from 26 countries are also responsible for

customer services, and product servicing. The branch’s export activi-

ties, across various industries, cover large parts of Western and

Eastern Europe as well as Russia and South Africa.

www.mitsubishichips.com

Celebration of 30th Anniversary

7www.bodospower.com December 2008 Bodo´s Power Systems®

N E W S

www.bodospower.com December 2008 Bodo´s Power Systems®

KEMET has announced that their Tantalum and Ceramics manufac-

turing operations have been awarded Certificates of Registration to

the Aerospace Quality Standard AS9100. Registration is rapidly

becoming a prerequisite for aerospace customers and the certificate

will reduce the need for numerous customer audits.

AS9100 is a set of requirements for quality management systems that

include all ISO 9001:2000 requirements expanded to address interna-

tional aerospace requirements approved by major aerospace compa-

nies around the world. Registration is reserved for companies commit-

ted to providing excellent customer service, continual improvement,

and outstanding product quality.

www.kemet.com

Certificates of Registration to the aerospace

quality standard AS9100

Ultralife Corporation, a global leader in high-energy power solutions

and communications systems for diverse applications, today

announced its launch of RPS Power Systems, a supplier of backup

power hardware solutions for mission-critical power needs in the

telecommunications, utility, financial and information-services indus-

tries.

Acquired by Ultralife in November 2007 under the name of Reserve

Power Systems, Inc., RPS provides comprehensive hardware solu-

tions incorporating energy storage and electronics for critical power

applications and renewable energy needs. RPS offers an extensive

range of market-competitive products, including VRLA (Valve Regu-

lated Lead Acid) batteries, racks, cabinet systems, trays, cables and

accessories as well as soon-to-be-announced UPS systems, telecom

inverters and power distribution units.

www.ultralifecorp.com

www.rpspowersystems.com

Standby Power Product

Brand

R-Theta Thermal Solutions Inc., a Canadian

company based in Toronto, has joined forces

with Ferraz Shawmut Thermal Management.

With this acquisition, the scope of Ferraz

Shawmut’s cooling unit business has grown

in three ways:

First the product range of high tech solutions

in water and phase change cooling now

embraces R-Theta’s high performance air

cooling solutions.

Second the geographical coverage is broad-

er than ever, with a North American base

joining Third the historic European plant in

La Mure, France, and our brand-new set-up

in Kunshan, China.

Emmanuel Carmier Director Thermal Man-

agement explained the improvements and

new installations in La Mure to be strongly

competitive in the market.

The revenue is enhanced by R-Theta’s

sales, essentially on the North American

market.

This kind of global scale is vital for Ferraz

Shawmut Thermal Management, putting us

in an ideal position to advise and serve our

big OEM customers (manufacturers of elec-

trical and electronic equipment). So Ferraz

Shawmut Thermal Management has become

a global partner for key accounts, with the

ability to serve them wherever they’re devel-

oping and producing around the world.

Ferraz Shawmut Thermal Management’s

global business will continue to grow, as it

faithfully follows the continuous improvement

in the performances of electronic compo-

nents that makes better cooling a must, as

well as the increasing use of electronics in

every area of industry, with the development

of power efficiency, renewable energies and

transportation. That growth relies on the

innovative and competitive nature of the

solutions to offer to OEM customers in elec-

tronics and in transport: compact, light-

weight solutions to extract heat efficiently.

www.ferrazshawmut.com

Ferraz Shawmut Global Leader in Thermal Management

Rail/marine drive controls

Wind power & solar power controls

Large motor drive controls

Bicron Electronics specializes in the design and manufacture of custom high frequency transformers for critical-use applications with frequencies up to 1 Mhz.

High IsolationSwitchmodeLoad Leveling

Gate DrivesSignal ConditioningPulse

When failure is not an option, choose Bicron.

Bicron offers the following transformer types:

www.bicron-magnetics.us+45.9858.1022 1.860.824.5125

BICRONElectronics

Ultra-reliabletransformer solutions

. . . reduce prematurepower control system failure!


N E W S

Fuji Electric Device Technology Co., Ltd. ,

Japan, leading global manufacturer of power

semiconductor components and with the

third-highest ranking of worldwide IGBT

module supplier market share (source:

Worldwide market for power semiconductor

discretes and modules 2008, IMS-Research)

and Semikron International GmbH, Ger-

many, market leader for diodes and thyristor

modules with a 37% market share (“World-

wide market for power semiconductor dis-

cretes and modules 2008”, IMS-Research)

and expert in packaging technology for

power semiconductor modules, signed a

supply and licence agreement at Semikron

in Nuremberg. Fuji Electric will supply IGBT

semiconductor chips to SEMIKRON; in

return Semikron will supply Fuji Electric with

freewheeling and rectifier diode chips, and

module cases in spring contact technology.

Power modules with spring contacts will be

manufactured by Fuji Electric under licence.

Under this co-operation, the two companies

are forging the basis for mutual supply of

power semiconductor chips. With the new

freewheeling diode and rectifier diode chips

from SEMIKRON and the IGBT chips from

Fuji Electric, both companies are expanding

their product range to offer customers the

optimum chip/module combination for a

given application. By using the same spring

contact technology Fuji Electric and SEMI-

KRON are able to increase the market pene-

tration for industrial drives, power supplies

and home appliances. This matches the sec-

ond source policy of customers.

Dirk Heidenreich, CEO of Semikron Interna-

tional and Dr. Hisao Shigekane, President

and Representative Director of Fuji Electric

Drive Technology sign the agreement.

www.semikron.com

www.fujielectric.com

Fuji Electric and Semikron Team Up

Munich, Germany –

October 13, 2008 – Vin-

cotech, a Gores Group

company and trusted

provider of power mod-

ules and other tech-

nologies used in indus-

trial, solar, automotive

and GPS applications, today announced that

Dietmar Hilgers has been appointed vice

president of operations. In this newly created

position, Hilgers reports to Rainer Sendrows-

ki, General Manager Vincotech Group, and

is based in Unterhaching, Germany.

A 15-year veteran of the automotive industry

and a functional expert in Toyota Production

System principles, Hilgers manages Vin-

cotech’s global operations, including its man-

ufacturing plants in Bicske, Hungary, and

Shenzhen, China. He also oversees global

quality, supply chain and strategic purchas-

ing.

www.vincotech.com

Dietmar Hilgers VP Manufacturing and Supply Chain

Qspeed Semiconductor, manufacturer of

high performance power semiconductors,

has named 25-year semiconductor business

executive Mike Heitzman as vice president

of marketing. Heitzman has spent his entire

career in the semiconductor industry, includ-

ing top management positions at ON Semi-

conductor and Motorola’s Semiconductor

Products Sector. His diverse business

expertise comes from experience in general

management, operations, strategy imple-

mentation and marketing for the semicon-

ductor industry.

Most recently, Heitzman served as vice pres-

ident of technology development for ON

Semiconductor in Phoenix, Ariz. Prior to that,

Heitzman was vice president and general

manager of the company’s Analog and

Power Management Products Division,

where he led a team in refocusing the divi-

sion’s new product development strategy

and introduced energy-conserving power

management products that earned global

recognition.

www.Qspeed.com

Mike Heitzman VP of Marketing

As part of its program to strengthen local

support, gain a closer understanding of cus-

tomers’ needs, and as part of its ongoing

strategy to achieve the highest levels of

communication and service, Ericsson Power

Modules has signed a distribution agreement

with ELFA AB.

Under the agreement, ELFA will support

Ericsson Power Modules’ sales in the main

parts of Europe, serving customers and

expanding both sales and demand in the

catalog and buy-online market segments for

Ericsson’s product portfolio. ELFA’s inventory

will include Ericsson Power Modules’ isolat-

ed and non-isolated DC/DC converters and

regulators. The ELFA catalogue, often

referred to as the reference book of the elec-

tronics business, is distributed by way of

134,000 copies to electronics users through-

out Europe.

The high level of technology, ruggedness

and reliability of Ericsson Power Modules

products results in excellent solutions for the

communication industry, as well as applica-

tions that are in demand in the medical,

avionics, computing, military, space and

industrial market sectors.

www.elfa.se

www.ericsson.com

Distributor to Boost European Sales and Service

TREK, INC., a designer

and manufacturer of high-

performance electrostatic

instrumentation and high-

voltage power amplifiers,

announces that Tom Lar-

son, Sales Manager at

TREK, was elected to the Board of Directors

by members of the Electrostatic Discharge

Association at the organization’s 2008 Annu-

al Meeting and Symposium held in Tucson,

Arizona. Larson will serve a three year term

as a member of the ESDA Board. This is his

first time serving on the Board.www.trekinc.com

www.esda.org

Tom Larson Elected to Board of Directors of ESDA


Innovative wire-winding and production tech-

niques produce 1210 case size choke coils

with 8GHz cut-off for common-mode noise

reduction in flat-screen TVs and other high-

definition applications

TAIYO YUDEN (U.S.A.) INC. announces the

CM01H900 wire-wound common-mode

choke coil for HDMI transmission line inter-

faces, offering ultra-compact size and

improved high-frequency characteristics for

common-mode noise reduction in high-

speed differential signal interfaces. Typical

applications include flat-screen TVs, Blu-Ray

disc recorders, PC video output interfaces

and other high-definition digital imaging

devices. As the industry’s smallest HDMI

choke coil—measuring just 1.2mm L x

1.0mm W x 0.9mm H (max)—the

CM01H900’s ultra-compact EIA-1210 case

size package facilitates development of thin-

ner-profile OEM equipment. Key specifica-

tions include:

Market demand is increasing for high-fre-

quency choke coils used in HDMI interfaces

and compact HDMI terminals for the new

high-definition digital video cameras entering

the market. To meet this need, TAIYO

YUDEN’s innovative wire-wound inductor

design and production technologies were

used to develop extremely compact compo-

nents that also feature enhanced high-fre-

quency characteristics, including a typical

cut-off frequency of 8GHz. In addition to

today’s mobile-device HDMI terminals, the

CM01H900 will be ideal for use in common-

mode noise countermeasures in the next

generation of ultra-high-speed interfaces that

are not yet on the market.

Mass production of the CM01H900 choke

coil began in April 2008, with monthly pro-

duction expected to reach 15 million units by

the end of 2008. For further information

about the company’s complete line-up of

high-performance inductor and ferrite prod-

ucts, visit the company web site.

Now in its 58th year, Tokyo-based TAIYO

YUDEN CO., LTD. is a worldwide manufac-

turer of surface-mount and leaded passive

components, Bluetooth modules, CCFT

inverters and recordable digital media. With

approximately 50% of the worldwide market

in high-frequency multilayer chip inductors

used in cell phones, the company reports

annual sales of US$2.06B. Worldwide,

TAIYO YUDEN employs more than twenty

thousand people. The company’s North

American affiliate, TAIYO YUDEN (U.S.A.)

INC., operates sales and engineering offices

in Chicago, IL, Raleigh, NC, Irving, TX, and

in California at San Jose and San Diego.

www.t-yuden.com

B L U E P R O D U C T O F T H E M O N T H

Industry’s Smallest HDMI Wire-Wound Common-

Mode Choke Coil

Ordering

Code

Common-

Mode

Impedance

(Ω @

100MHz)

DC Resis-

tance

RDC, Max.

Rated

Current,

Max.

Rated

Voltage,

Max.

Insula-

tion

Resis-

tance,

Min.

Cut-Off

Frequen-

cy, Typ.

Character-

istic Imped-

ance, Typ.

CM01H900 65 min.

(90 typ.)

0.5Ω 250mA 20V 100MΩ 8.0GHz 100Ω


Generating and using energy in a sustain-

able way is fast becoming a worldwide top-

priority. Power electronics, which uses solid-

state technology to control and convert elec-

trical power, will be one of the key enablers

of new energy-saving technology. But today,

power devices made with silicon are reach-

ing their intrinsic material limits. Further inno-

vation and improvement will require wide

bandgap semiconductors with higher per-

formance than silicon. GaN is one of these

promising semiconductor materials. It is not

only a wide bandgap semiconductor, but it

also has very good electron mobility charac-

teristics, significantly reducing conduction

and switching losses. And last but not least,

GaN can be deposited on top of large silicon

wafers, paving the way for cost reduction

and increasing the chance of market accept-

ance.

In the 20th century, when fossil fuel was the

driver of a first industrial revolution, our

economy was characterized by lots of manu-

al labor, big factories and the production of

material goods. We acted as if the resources

of the world were unlimited. However, nowa-

days, we are confronted with the depletion of

our resources and the limits imposed by fos-

sil fuels. On top of that, climate change

forces us to reconsider our energy consump-

tion and switch to a more environmentally

conscious use of energy. Currently, our

economy is driven by technological innova-

tion, improving the quality of our lives

through immaterial goods such as services

and content. Technological innovation will

also prove to be the key in tackling the ener-

gy challenges, where the only way to go is a

dramatic switch to renewable energy and

energy saving in all conceivable ways. Pho-

tovoltaic systems, non-food-based biofuels

and hybrid cars generate sustainable energy,

while power-efficient intelligent ICT systems

and smart LED lighting are technological

solutions to limit energy consumption. Many

of these new technologies will be driven by

power electronics.

Power electronics for generating and con-

verting energy are already used in advanced

applications like solar converters, motor

drives, hybrid electrical vehicles or switch

mode power supplies. However, further inno-

vation and improvement of energy generat-

ing devices will require the use of wide

bandgap semiconductors that allow the pro-

duction of devices with high breakdown volt-

age. III-nitrides wide bandgap materials, for

example, offer a combination of high voltage

and high electron velocity which significantly

reduce the switching and conduction losses.

The use of wide bandgap semiconductors

will allow us to make power efficient devices.

But wide bandgap semiconductors are not

only seen as an enabler for the new genera-

tion of power devices. They are also consid-

ered as potentials for reducing the total

energy consumption through e.g. LED light-

ing ... And last but not least, wide bandgap

semiconductors offer promising perspectives

for newer cleaner technologies, e.g. in the

hybrid automotive industry. Indeed, the fig-

ures prove the key role of power electronics

in renewable and reduced energy consump-

tion: Although they only represent about 10%

of the total semiconductor market, the power

electronics industry has a higher combined

aggregate growth rate (>11%) than the total

semiconductor industry (~7%).

But a new technology for power electronics

will only gain market acceptance as replace-

ment of existing technologies or as enabler

of new technology when its cost is competi-

tive with existing solutions. It is therefore of

key importance to find materials and

processes that offer an optimal mix of per-

formance and cost. Galliumnitride (GaN) has

proven to be such a material. It is not only a

wide bandgap semiconductor that allows

higher breakdown voltage. Thanks to its very

good electron mobility characteristics, it sig-

nificantly reduces switching and conduction

losses compared to silicon. Due to its out-

standing capabilities for power, low-noise,

high frequency, high temperature operations

Gallium nitride considerably extends the

application field of solid-state operations.

Moreover, GaN has very promising cost

reduction perspectives. GaN growth on

200mm silicon wafers has recently been

demonstrated, being an important step

towards processing GaN power devices on

large-diameter silicon wafers.

www.imec.be

G U E S T E D I T O R I A L

Sustainable Energy ThroughPower Electronics

By Gilbert Declerck, President and Chief Executive Officer of IMEC

TPS40K, High-Performance Analog >> Your Way and the platform bar are trademarks of Texas Instruments. 2104A1 © 2008 TI

Power system designers can optimize their designs with TPS40K™ DC/DC Controllers from Texas Instruments. These easy-to-use controllers support input voltage ranges from 2.25 V to 52 V and ensure flexibility, scalability and stackability regardless of your application.

Device VIN Range (V) VREF Frequency Key Feature (s) EVM Package (s)

TPS40040/41 2.25 to 5.5 0.6 V ±1% 300/600 kHz Selectable short-circuit protection √ 3 x 3 mm 8 SON

TPS40042 3 to 5.5 External 600 kHz Pre-biased output support √ 3 x 3 mm 10 SON

TPS40140 2 to 40 0.7 V ±0.5% Adjustable to 1 MHzOne 2-phase output or two single-phase outputs stackable to 16 independent phases √ 6 x 6 mm 36 QFN

TPS40180 2 to 40 0.7 V ±0.75% Adjustable to 1 MHz Stackable to 8 independent phases √ 4 x 4 mm 24 QFN

TPS40192/3 4.5 to 18 0.591 V ±0.5% 300/600 kHz Power good and enable pins √ 3 x 3 mm 10 SON

TPS40195 4.5 to 20 0.591 V ±0.5% Adjustable to 600 kHz Master/slave 180° out-of-phase sync pin √ 16 TSSOP or 3.5 x 4 mm QFN

TPS40200 4.5 to 52 0.7 V ±1% Adjustable to 500 kHz External synchronization pin √ 4 x 5 mm 8 SOIC

TPS40210 4.5 to 52 0.7 V ±2% Adjustable to 1 MHz Universal for boost, SEPIC, flyback √ 5 x 3 mm 10 MSOP or 3 x 3 mm 10 SON

TPS40211 4.5 to 52 0.260 V ±2% Adjustable to 1 MHz Boost, SEPIC, flyback for LED-driver √ 5 x 3 mm 10 MSOP or 3 x 3 mm 10 SON

New products are listed in

Point-of-Load DC/DC Controllersfor multiple bus voltages

High-Performance Analog>>Your Way™

www.ti.com/pol-e or call toll free:00800-ASKTEXAS (00800 275 83927)

or international: +49 (0) 8161 80 2121

Get evaluation modules, samples and datasheets


M A R K E T

ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY DIGESTBy Aubrey Dunford, Europartners

GENERAL

The worldwide mobile

phone industry felt the

impact of the global

financial crisis in the

third quarter of 2008.

Global mobile handset

shipments grew a dis-

appointing 5 percent

year-over-year,- the

industry’s weakest growth rate since 2002 -,

to reach 303 million units in Q3 2008, so

Strategy Analytics.

SEMICONDUCTORS

Based on current guidance from many chip

makers, Q4 sales will be lower than those in

Q3.

Worldwide sales of semiconductors

increased by 1.6 percent to $ 23 billion in

September compared to September 2007,

so SIA. Sales grew by 1.1 percent from

August 2008. Sales of $ 196.4 billion for the

first nine months of 2008 were up by 4 per-

cent compared to the first nine months of

2007. Excluding memory products, industry

sales in September grew by 7.8 percent

year-on-year.

Measured in Euro, European semiconductor

sales in September 2008 were € 2.323 bil-

lion, up 4.1 percent on previous month and

down 9.5 percent versus the same month a

year ago, so the WSTS.

Texas Instruments is taking actions that will

reduce expenses by about one-third, or

more than $ 200 million annualized, in its

Wireless business (sales of $ 915 M in Q3),

especially in its cellular baseband operation.

Samsung Electronics dropped a $ 5.9 billion

unsolicited bid for flash memory card maker

SanDisk, citing the U.S. company's deepen-

ing losses and uncertain outlook.

Qimonda announced a global restructuring

and cost reduction program. As a part of this

program, Qimonda has reached an agree-

ment with Micron Technology to sell its 35.6

percent stake in Inotera Memories, its joint

venture with Nanya Technology, to Micron

for $ 400 M in cash.

Atmel board of directors rejects unsolicited

proposal from Microchip Technology and ON

Semiconductor, saying that the proposal is

inadequate in multiple respects, including

value, conditionality and complexity.

Microchip Technology, a provider of micro-

controller and analog semiconductors, has

acquired Hampshire, a supplier in the touch

screen controller market.

Microsemi, a US-based manufacturer of

analog mixed signal integrated circuits and

high reliability semiconductors, paid approxi-

mately $ 20 M to acquire Babcock. Babcock

is involved in power supplies and power con-

ditioning units for satellite, airborne, ship-

board, and

ground based electronics systems. In addi-

tion, Babcock manufactures relays, remote

power controllers, contactors, timers, and

sensors.

Maxim Integrated Products has entered into

a definitive agreement to purchase Mobily-

gen, a privately held, fables semiconductor

company with leading technology in H.264

video compression.

Wacker Chemie plans to construct a new

polysilicon production plant at its Nünchritz

site (Saxony, Germany) with a nominal

annual capacity of 10,000 metric tons. The

new plant is expected to achieve full capaci-

ty by the end of 2011.

OPTOELECTRONICS

Cree, a market leader in LED lighting,

announces a longterm strategic agreement

with the Austrian Zumtobel Group, a global

market leader in the professional lighting

industry, to supply LED downlights to the

European market.

PASSIVE COMPONENTS

TDK announces the result of the voluntary

public takeover offer for Epcos. Together

with the 47.95 percent of the shares TDK

has directly or indirectly purchased outside

the offer, the company now has a total

shareholding of 94.35 percent in Epcos. TDK

and Epcos will be able to create a leading

electronics components company with a

strong presence across customer sectors

and regions, so TDK.

Bourns, a manufacturer of automotive sen-

sors, circuit protection solutions, magnetic

products, microelectronic modules, precision

potentiometers, panel controls and encoders

and resistive products, has acquired sub-

stantially all of the assets of the Transient

Blocking Unit business of Fultec Semicon-

ductor. Terms of the transaction were not

disclosed.

OTHER COMPONENTS

Electronic design automation (EDA) industry

revenue for Q2 2008 declined 3.7 percent to

$ 1357.4 M, compared to $ 1408.8 M in Q2

2007, so The EDA Consortium.

Western Europe revenue was up 10.5 per-

cent in Q2 2008 compared to Q2 2007, with

revenues of $ 273.4 M. The four quarter

moving average growth for Western Europe

was up 11.6 percent. North America, EDA’s

largest region, purchased $ 585 M of EDA

products and services in Q2 2008, which

represents a 13.3 percent decrease com-

pared to Q2 2007. The four quarter moving

average growth rate was down 6.9 percent

for North America. Q2 2008 revenue from

Japan increased 13.7 percent to $ 281.8 M

compared to Q2 2007. The four quarter mov-

ing average increase was 13.1 percent for

Japan. Rest-of-World (ROW) decreased to $

217.1 M in Q2 2008, a 9 percent decrease

compared to the same quarter in 2007. The

four quarter moving average growth was

positive at 6.7 percent.

DISTRIBUTION

Avnet reported revenue of $ 4.49 billion for

first quarter fiscal 2009 ended September

27, 2008, representing an increase of 9.7

percent over first quarter fiscal 2008. Pro

forma revenue growth was up 0.9 percent

over the prior year first quarter. Net income

for first quarter fiscal 2009 was $ 92.8 M, as

compared with net income of $ 105.5 M, for

the first quarter last year.

EBV Elektronik, an Avnet company, re-

launchs its complete web presence:

www.ebv.com. The new site, available in six

languages, features the fast delivery of all

the latest information about its entire range

of products and services, as well as the

company’s new, intuitive ‘Product Matrix’,

that enables visitors to find their preferred

products in seconds.

This is the comprehensive power related

extract from the

«Electronics Industry Digest»,

the successor of The Lennox Report.

For a full subscription of the report contact:

[email protected]

or by fax 44/1494 563503.

www.europartners.eu.com

�

� P

�

�

Galvanic separation


Dc-dc converter modules could become a thing of the past. Today is

rife with opportunities and dangers for dc-dc converter makers. The

opportunities have narrowed as a result of the current global eco-

nomic downturn, and the dangers have increased in the near-term,

according to Darnell Group’s tenth in-depth analysis of the dc-dc con-

verter module and IC markets.

New power architectures are driving the average wattages of isolated

converters down. Makers of non-isolated point-of-load converters are

seeing their value-added opportunities reduced by new system pow-

ering architectures. In addition, new semiconductor packaging

options are emerging that will impact the opportunities for value-

added, such as power multi-chip modules, power-supply-in-package,

and power-supply-on-chip. The sometimes-hidden backdrop for these

changes is the emergence and growing importance of various forms

of digital power management.

The impact of today’s economic troubles will vary widely, from poten-

tially devastating to hardly noticeable, depending on the specific mar-

ket segment and product category being considered. One of the pri-

mary factors driving the new power architectures has been the grow-

ing number of power rails in a typical piece of electronic equipment.

One system maker said that the number of rails is increasing – about

20 for mid-range servers and 30 for high-end servers. This is true for

PCs, as well, with the number of power rails increasing from 2 in the

initial designs to 10 or more today. A typical circuit card in an Ether-

net router may have 40 or more different voltage buses, each with its

own dc-dc converter.

This would appear to be a good situation for dc-dc module makers,

but it is not. System makers always have a “power budget,” the per-

centage of the system cost that can go to powering it. Let’s say the

power budget is 8%. This doesn’t change just because the number of

voltage rails has increased. If the number of rails doubles, the power

budget does not. The cost of power has to be cut in half just to stay

within budget, which module makers can’t necessarily afford to do.

The solution has been the replacement of almost all dc-dc modules

in high-end equipment with so-called “embedded” solutions (i.e. in-

board dc-dc converters that are built into the system by the system

maker).

Figure 1 illustrates the effect this shift is having on the dc-dc convert-

er module market. In 2006, the Intermediate Bus Architecture (IBA)

was the dominant dc-dc module power architecture for electronic

equipment. Because of the large consumption of point-of-load (POL)

converters by the IBA, the market enjoyed “long-term” growth poten-

tial. Beginning in 2007, the IBA started to be replaced by embedded

or “down” solutions, which Darnell Group refers to as the Centralized

Control Architecture (CCA). This shift led to a replacement of many

POL modules with down solutions, reducing the potential worldwide

unit market growth for dc-dc converter modules.

In the near-term, unfortunately, there is a second impact reducing

growth. The current economic slowdown is projected to further

reduce overall dc-dc converter market size (both modules and ICs) in

2009. By 2013, after the near-term economic slowdown has passed,

growth is projected to recover, although the market will continue to

show declining module sales. This decline will not affect the overall

size of the dc-dc converter market; the market is simply shifting away

from modules to embedded solutions.

The impact of the adoption of architectures such as the CCA (and the

economic slowdown) is already being felt in a reduced demand for

dc-dc modules. Without the CCA or the economic slowdown, the

market was expected to reach about $4 billion in 2009. Now, with the

combined impact, the dc-dc modules market is forecast to be $3.8

billion in 2009. This is simply less growth, not negative growth. The

market has not shrunk; it has just shifted from higher-priced modules

to lower-priced ICs.

This potentially bleak landscape is not going to change. Digital IC

technology shrinks transistors and puts more and more onto the ICs.

As transistors shrink, they need to operate on lower voltages. Cost-

sensitive consumer systems, such as plasma TVs, can have as many

as 15 separate voltage rails, many of which may require monitoring

and sequencing.

Improved on-line design tools are also contributing to the decline of

modules. Semiconductor makers ranging from National Semiconduc-

tor and Intersil to Analog Devices offer on-line development tools and

libraries of reference designs, making it easy for system designers to

implement lower-cost embedded dc-dc converters. Some of these

design tools have been on-line for 10 years and offer sophisticated

simulation capabilities, optimization tools, and more. The resulting

designs, while not as thoroughly optimized or sophisticated as state-

of-the-art modules, are much better than earlier generations and are

generally more than good enough for use in mainstream (but not

necessarily leading-edge) system designs.

M A R K E T

Major Shifts Threaten DC-DCConverter Market

By Jeff Shepard, President, Darnell Group

Figure 1: DC-DC Converter Module Market Growth Shifts

www.bodospower.com

The growing importance of power management (primarily optimiz-

ing energy efficiency) compared with power conversion is another

factor driving the value out of dc-dc converter modules. Power

management began to take on increasing importance with the

emergence of digital power technologies about five years ago.

Today, digital power management (often implemented with the

industry-standard PMBus™ protocol) is a requirement. System

architecture standards such as the Advanced Telecommunica-

tions Architecture (ATCA) and Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) are

changing the demand characteristics of this market. Finally, there

are emerging standards that go beyond the board or rack level

and up to facilities power management that are propelling the

adoption of digital power management.

How power supply companies choose to deal with these threats

will be more important than how they weather the financial crisis,

since it addresses their entire business model. Bus converters

are still in demand, according to system makers. Legacy systems

will continue to require non-isolated modules, as well. And some

applications don’t use the large number of voltage rails required

in computer and communications systems. Industrial and Medical

systems, for instance, are good markets for dc-dc modules. The

smaller size of these segments is offset by the higher average

selling prices of the products.

In fact, the Industrial, Medical and Military segments are expected

to grow in importance as far as dc-dc modules are concerned.

The worldwide Industrial dc-dc converter market is projected to

be about $800 million in 2009, which is small compared to Com-

munications and Computers, but still substantial. These applica-

tions consume proportionately more isolated dc-dc converters

compared with applications such as computer servers.

Medical – usually a very small unit market – has grown to the

point that it can be broken out by equipment class in Darnell’s

forecasts. Medical applications are not expected to experience

any significant slowdown in growth. While there may be delays in

some large projects, overall expenditures on medical electronics

are expected to continue growing at modest rates.

Military is traditionally a specialized, difficult market to get into,

but the commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) portion represents $130

million in revenue. Arms manufacturers will have to seek new

markets as the economic crisis and changing priorities curb mili-

tary spending in the U.S. and Europe, according to Jane’s Infor-

mation Group. These segments are highly susceptible to changes

in political direction. Many of the spending commitments for 2009

have already been budgeted, and growth of about 9% to 10% is

expected in this sector. A soft economy could even help growth in

this area, as politicians increase spending in an effort to boost

economic activity in their respective districts.

So the shifts seen in the dc-dc converter module market are only

partly affected by the financial crisis and economic slowdown.

Declining sales for IBA products have to be balanced with

increasing sales for CCA products (i.e. power management ICs).

The effects of the economic crisis will be near-term, but the trend

to “down” solutions will be long-term. The market for modules has

taken a permanent change in direction.

http://www.darnell.com/dcdc

www.powerpulse.net

For superior solutionsin industrial electronics

www.epcos.com


This is a problem that has beleaguered the manufacturers of equip-

ment that relies on batteries for emergency power; when you really

need it most, how will you know it will work? It is a particularly rele-

vant question for manufacturers of uninterruptible power supplies

(UPS), whose sole purpose is to supply electricity, to computer sys-

tems or medical equipment, in case of mains power failure. In these

circumstances, it is not only imperative that the power is available but

that it is delivered within definite time and supply tolerances.

Most battery backup systems are constructed from a number of valve

regulated lead acid (VRLA) cells to create monobloc batteries.

Although described as ‘maintenance free’, the technology has well

known weaknesses, any one of which can render the battery ineffi-

cient or even completely inactive.

Weak, aged or otherwise ‘unhealthy’ batteries therefore represent a

serious hazard in these systems, so it is commonplace to carry out

regular maintenance checks on their state of health (SOH) and state

of charge (SOC). However regularly these are done, there is still a

risk of a battery failure occurring between maintenance checks and

to combat this some companies are turning towards systems that

offer constant SOH and SOC monitoring, in-situ.

Continuous monitoring

It may sound like a simple solution but in reality it comes down to

economics. Continuous monitoring solutions can typically add 50% to

the cost of the battery, even reaching as much as 70% when installa-

tion and operation is factored in. With such a high cost, it can prove

cheaper to replace the batteries on a regular basis, before the Mean

Time Before Failure (MTBF) would suggest they have reached their

end-of-life. However, like routine maintenance this too is fraught with

uncertainty, because environmental conditions can play a large role

in the MTBF of a battery.

The answer many manufacturers seek is a low cost, continuous mon-

itoring system that provides comprehensive diagnostics of a battery’s

SOH and SOC, under all conditions. In March 2007 LEM, a specialist

in this class of intelligent transducer, teamed up with RWTH Aachen

University, one of the world’s leading authorities on sealed and vent-

ed lead acid batteries diagnostics and management, to set a

roadmap for the development of advanced low cost battery monitor-

ing management.

While other manufacturers have pursued more ‘fashionable’ battery

technologies, RWTH Aachen University has maintained and furthered

a centre of excellence that concentrates on the most established and

widely selling battery chemistry. The LEM-Aachen partnership is a

long term co-operation to research the failure modes of VRLA ,(Valve

Regulated Lead Acid ) flooded and gel batteries and to look at the

next generation of monitoring and analysis systems, including SOH

and SOC.

Through this partnership and by listening to the needs of users, LEM

has continued the development of its solution for continuous monitor-

ing, known as Sentinel. Capable of measuring cell voltage, internal

temperature and internal impedance, Sentinel offers a level of diag-

nostic measuring comparable to that offered by much more sophisti-

cated – and expensive – laboratory equipment, but at a cost that

does not prohibit its application as a continuous monitoring solution.

In order to develop Sentinel, LEM conducted extensive R&D using

the aforementioned lab-based equipment, as shown in Figure 1,

employing a wide selection of battery makes and brands. In this

case, the method being applied and replicated in Sentinel is electro-

chemical impedance spectroscopy, which can also be implemented in

hand-held devices and is commonly used during routine mainte-

nance.

Before explaining how this sophisticated methodology is replicated in

a cost-effective, single-chip solution, it is worth outlining exactly what

level of diagnostics it achieves, and how that can help protect the

integrity of a battery-based UPS.

C O V E R S T O R Y

Watching Out for YouContinuous monitoring is important in backup battery applications

We increasingly rely on technology to provide us with a feeling of security; cameras,emergency telephones and even safety lighting have a reassuringly high profile, letting usknow that, if they are ever needed, they’re available. Ensuring their availability in timesof emergency can often demand an infallible power supply, which in turn falls to the ven-

erable backup battery. But how do you know your battery backup really is infallible?

by Alan Denny, LEM

Figure 1: Test set-up for the evaluation of the monitoring devices.

International Exhibition& Conference forPOWER ELECTRONICSINTELLIGENT MOTIONPOWER QUALITY12 – 14 May 2009Exhibition Centre Nuremberg

2009

Power for Efficiency!

Veranstalter/Organizer:Mesago PCIM GmbH, Rotebühlstr. 83-85, D-70178 Stuttgart, Tel. +49 711 61946-56, E-mail: [email protected]

MesagoPCIM


C O V E R S T O R Y

An ageing problem

The majority of systems in this class use lead-acid battery technolo-

gy, a technology that is well known to suffer from degradation in

capacity and increase of internal resistance, due to ageing. However

because the technology is so well established, the ageing condition

is also well understood and can, therefore, be identified through the

detection of several phenomena.

One effect that is particularly common is loss in capacity, due largely

to the use-model of the batteries. In a UPS, the batteries are dis-

charged with a high current, which can lead to the growth of large

crystals on the electrodes. It is a condition that can be partly con-

trolled through proper battery conditioning but in severe causes it can

prove irreversible. It can also lead to growth of small crystals – or

“dendrites”- which, if left undetected, can grow together and create

short-circuits within the battery.

A short-circuit may also result from internal corrosion, where flakes

from the terminals drop on to the electrode. Significant contributors to

corrosion include temperature, voltage and local acid concentration,

normally affecting the positive terminal. Any of these age related

effects will lead to a loss of battery capacity, or power, and so any

kind of diagnostic must be capable of identifying them, in order for

the appropriate action to be taken before catastrophic failure results.

The above effects lead to a decreasing battery’s capacity or power.

Any type of diagnostic shall be aiming for an identification of these

ageing effects.

In the tests conducted, an electrochemical impedance spectroscope

(EISmeter by RWTH Aachen Universaty ) was used to employ full

spectrum measurement; a series of sinusoidal waveforms are applied

to the battery and the resulting impedance measured across a spec-

trum of frequencies, between a few mHz and 7.5kHz. The results are

derived through a Fourier analysis to calculate the real and imaginary

part of the voltage response for a given frequency. The result, the

complex impedance, can be obtained by analysing the relationship

between the voltage response and the excitation current, in ampli-

tude and phase angle.

For the Sentinel solution, this was impractical, as the processing

power needed to achieve this would render any solution commercial-

ly non-viable for a continuous monitoring system. The challenge,

therefore, was to develop a methodology where only a single fre-

quency could be used for measurement, but was capable of achiev-

ing comparable results to the EISmeter. Figure 2 shows a compari-

son between the impedance measurements made using the EISme-

ter (full spectrum) and the Sentinel.

Trend analysis

As the results in Figure 2 show, the two values are very consistent.

Although a slightly higher value was returned using the Sentinel, this

could easily be compensated for through calibration. However, for the

purposes of battery diagnosis, it is the relative – not absolute – differ-

ences that are of interest. As the measurements are carried out on a

continuous basis, it is the trend data that is important, which can be

clearly seen in the results. This, coupled with temperature and volt-

age measurement all carried out using a single integrated circuit,

constitutes the intelligence in the Sentinel solution.

Sentinel is the first single integrated circuit (system-on chip) monitor-

ing for VRLA and flooded cells that provides measurement for individ-

ual cells and monoblocs for internal temperature, voltage and imped-

ance as standard. Each module monitors an individual cell or

monobloc, from 2 to 12 volts nominal, reporting over a proprietary

communications bus to a Battery Data Logger (BDL).

The function of the Sentinel is to derive key electrical parameters

under test to determine the ability of the battery to perform in the

event of a mains failure.

Up to 250 Sentinel modules can be accessed via a single serial bus,

making installation extremely easy as pushing plugs into sockets

using pre-terminated data bus cables.

Each Sentinel has an integrated temperature sensor for the continu-

ous measurement of individual cell skin temperature. This is essential

in the detection of potential thermal runaway and also enables intelli-

gent temperature controlled charging profiles. Not subject to the

restrictions of a single ambient sensor, cell skin temperature is more

accurate and reliable.

The measurement of individual cell temperature enables thermal

mapping of the battery, which until now has only been available as an

expensive additional service cost.

LEMs unique True Energy Layer method of impedance measure-

ment, together with a more robust test current ensures accurate and

repeatable results every time. The impedance is measured by per-

forming many “short-duration, mini discharge” of the bloc using a

square-ware signal at a set frequency for a duration of 4.5 seconds

as shown in Figure 3.

This action of the single longer pre-conditioning pulse at the start

brings the cell into the right “energy layer” state before starting to

draw measuring pulses. The latter creates a varying cell voltage

response which, combined with the reference pulsed current, pro-

vides an impedance value.

Figure 2: Comparison between impedance modulus given by theEISmeter and impedance values given by the Sentinel versus fre-quency.

Figure 3: Impedance wave form

The Sentinel’s impedance test method perturbs only the cell under

test. High currents through sections of the battery are not required

and DC links is not disturbed by any oscillations.

This is the first time that temperature, impedance and voltage have

been combined in a module for single cell, or monobloc, monitoring.

Combining accurate temperature, discharge (dynamic) and floating

(static), with accurate ripple current measurements, the Sentinel sys-

tem represents the most comprehensive battery monitoring system

available today.

It is also designed for simple installation, requiring around a quarter

of the time it takes to install less comprehensive systems. This is

achieved through its monolithic design and simplified communica-

tions system. Using a proprietary communications bus, which LEM

has termed the S-bus, each self-contained unit operates

autonomously yet can be directly controlled from a central intelli-

gence unit, called the Battery Data Logger (BDL); a monitor and

data-logger with comprehensive alarm parameters and data storage

facilities (see Figure 5).

Only this intelligent combination of the single or monobloc measure-

ment units with the accurate information on temperature, voltage and

impedance with the central intelligence given by the Microguard

(BDL) including current measurement that allows an intelligent analy-

sis of the state of health of the battery

Configurations allow up to 250 Sentinels in eight strings, with up to 8

float/discharge currents being monitored, with all data available via

an network interface.

Because the Sentinel is itself powered by the cell being monitored, it

is designed to remain in ‘sleep’ mode for the majority of the time,

only ‘waking up’ to take measurements. The wake cycle takes less

than 100mS and is conducted approximately once every 5–10mins,

which means for the vast majority of time the Sentinel is consuming

minimal power from the host cell.

The use of lead-acid batteries in UPS systems is likely to increase,

given our growing dependence on evermore sophisticated electronic

devices. While the failure of an individual cell could spell catastrophe

for any system employing a UPS as an emergency power source,

using LEM’s Sentinel, that failure can be predicted, averted and,

therefore, cost-effectively rectified long before any collateral damage

occurs.

LEM firmly believes that continuous monitoring is important in these

applications, but that it should cost no more than 15% of the cost of

the battery. Because impedance is known to change in most modes

of failure, it remains to date the most effective method of detecting

deterioration of failure in a cell. In order to achieve true readings it is

necessary to test a cell at a current level sufficient to penetrate the

‘surface’ charge present and for this reason the Sentinel has also

been developed to automatically optimise the impedance signal test

level, for any voltage between 1.5 and 15V.

The Sentinel system is a single-chip solution capable of operating

completely automatically, providing extremely cost-effective and reli-

able monitoring for safety and mission critical applications. The oper-

ation of an entire system could be based on the integrity of a single

cell. However, Sentinel maintains that integrity thus avoiding what

could be a potential catastrophic failure.

www.lem.com


C O V E R S T O R Y

Figure 4: Sentinel

Figure 5 MicroGuard, the battery data logger

Transformer forSMPS designCustomized SMPS design with standard package style transfomers

Transformer with 6 windingsindividually adjustable

Design-Software WE-FLEX Designer for free

Samples free of charge

300 transformer and 100 chokesolutions possible

Design-In support included

Available ex stock

Design Guide „Abc of Transformers“

Rapid prototyping, easy design

E M C C O M P O N E N T S

I N D U C T O R S

T R A N S F O R M E R S

R F C O M P O N E N T S

P R E S S - F I T T E C H N O L O G Y

C O N N E C T O R S

V A R I S T O R S

A S S E M B LY T E C H N I Q U E www.we-online.com


Power semiconductor devices, based on

newest technologies, enter more application

areas [1, 2]. The use of semiconductors for

energy generation by help of regenerative

energy system is just one example. Automa-

tion systems also take advantage of this

development. They produce less power loss-

es, generate less noise, become lighter and

smaller. Looking at the variety of applica-

tions, state-of-the-art semiconductor systems

with a higher power density are needed.

Decisive factors of such power modules are

a high reliability, robustness and a long life

time.

Robustness and reliability under vibration

conditions are in the focus not only in trac-

tion applications but more and more also in

case of standard industrial drives. It is a

must for power module engineers to imple-

ment such increased demands during new

product developments. Construction and

power class of semiconductor devices define

to a high extent the required connection

technology.

For drive and UPS applications in the power

range up to 30kW the EconoPACK™ and

EconoPIM™ modules with its solderable

pins have changed the structure in the past.

For Applications above 75kW, the

EconoPACK™+ modules have set a new

standard for power modules in the beginning

of 2000. These Econo power modules

offered the inverter design engineers the

possibility to create compact inverters.

Based on these Econo modules success

stories and as a consequence of continuous-

ly increased application requirements Infi-

neon developed a new power module for the

power range from 22kW to 75kW.

This new IGBT module is the

EconoPACK™4 shown in figure 2.

EconoPACK™4 – The housing concept

for a new standard

The EconoPACK™4 is a six pack IGBT

module including a NTC resistor for temper-

ature measurement.

The package based on the well-known

Econo housing principle [3] is characterized

by its flat geometry. As a result of the higher

power ratings, compared to the

EconoPACK™ and EconoPIM™ module, the

main terminals are implemented as screw

connections. These power terminals feature

the so called flow through concept, similar to

Infineon’s EconoPACK™+. One module side

contains the screw terminals for the DC link

and the opposite side of the package the

screw terminals for the AC output connec-

tion.

The module height of 17mm only reduces

the demand of volume significantly while

keeping the mounting procedure very easy.

A relatively flat inverter structure is the

result.

Optimised gate driver connection is possible

by placing the driver on top of the module.

The innovative module design also takes

care of the inverter system costs by provid-

ing reliable and solder less press in contact

with PressFIT [6] auxiliary terminals for the

driver board connection. During the mount-

I G B T M O D U L E S

EconoPACK™4 The next generation of robust and reliable power modules

Reliability and energy efficiency are two major aspects for today’s state of the art inverterdesigns. Infineon’s new EconoPACK™4 provides robust module design in combinationwith the new energy efficient IGBT4 and Emitter Controlled 4 Diode chip technology.

By Wilhelm Rusche, Infineon Technologies AG

Figure 1: Infineon power modules 1200V

Figure 3: Product range EconoPACK™41200V

Figure 2: EconoPACK™ 4, SixPACK withintegrated NTC

ing process the control pins are pressed into

the driver board by a defined force and a

gas-proof connection is reached. The Press-

FIT contacts also provide the flexibility for

the use of a solder process, if required.

Inside the module the power terminals and

the auxiliary terminals are connected to the

DCB by US welding. The impressively bene-

fits in reliability and performance of the US

metal welded terminals, compared to the

today used technologies, were already

described in further articles [4, 5].

Infineon new 4th generation of IGBT4-T4

and Emitter Controlled 4 Diode inside

The device is equipped with the latest semi-

conductor technology [1, 2], the IGBT4 and

the Emitter Controlled 4 diode. The new

1200V IGBT4 generation combined with the

improved Emitter Controlled diode from Infi-

neon provides three optimized chip versions

that are designed to the needs of modern

inverter concepts. Two main success criteria

during the development of a new chip gener-

ation are low static and dynamic losses.

The IGBT4-T4 chip, used in the

EconoPACK™4, with its fast switching char-

acteristic provides 20% lower switching loss-

es compared to the previous IGBT3-T3 gen-

eration. This loss reduction is an advantage

for the efficiency of power modules.

Reducing losses is not enough. Additionally

the switching characteristic of the device

itself was also an important issue. The new

IGBT generation and its versions are opti-

mised for the needs of the application. The

IGBT4-T4 is slightly softer than the previous

low power IGBT3-T3 chip, and the IGBT-E4

version is slightly softer than the medium

power IGBT3-E3 chip. As aimed by the

design the E versions are clearly softer than

the T series [1, 7]. With the consequent

implementation of US welding in combina-

tion with an “in-frame-bus bar” the module

provides significantly low parasitic stray

inductances which is essential to utilize the

advantages of the IGBT4-T4to the fullest [1,2].

The softness respectively the switching

speed of the IGBT depends also on the junc-

tion temperature. Increasing the junction

temperature means increasing the softness

of the IGBT. However a proper characteristic

of the device must be given already at low

temperature e.g. 25°C. The turn-off and turn-

on behaviour is exemplary shown for a

1200V/150A EconoPACK™4 IGBT module

in figure 4 at Tvjop=25°C.

A comparable robustness as the well known

predecessor IGBT3 is given. The IGBT4-T4

withstands an unprotected short circuit as it

is exemplary depicted in figure 5 for a

FS150R12PT4.

The IGBT4 technology allows a 25K higher

maximum chip operation temperature of

Tvjop=150 °C compared to the operation tem-

perature of 125°C of the previous genera-

tions. This higher operation temperature

results in the potential of higher output

power by use of the full temperature swing

under the same cooling conditions. Addition-

ally the optimization of the chip assembly

and contact technology shows a noteworthy

power cycling (PC) improvement shown in

figure 6. Depending on the application condi-

tions this ensures at least the same PC life-

time expectation and higher output current

as a consequence of the increased opera-

tion temperature.

The new power semiconductor generation

has been optimized to improve its character-



Figure 6: Power cycling (PC) reliability diagram for 1200V Standard modules and typical life-time for an EconoPACK module with IGBT4 at ton ≈ 1s, I≈Inom.

Figure 5: SC1 and SC2, VCE=900V, VGE≤15V, RG=RGnom, tp≤10μs, Tvj=25°C

Figure 4: Turn-on and turn-off EconoPACK™ 4, VCE=600V, IC=ICnom, RG=RGnom, Tvj=25°C

24 Bodo´s Power Systems® December 2008 www.bodospower.comBodo´s Power Systems® December 2008 www.bodospower.com


istic and to increase the output power of the inverter as a conse-

quence of the increased operation temperature of Tvjop=150°C. The

new IGBT EconoPACK™4 product family will start with 1200V block-

ing voltage and with 100A, 150A and 200A rated current. All 1200V

EconoPACK™4 devices provide the advantages of the new IGBT4-

T4 and Emitter Controlled 4 diode chip technology.

The next step with a higher integration level of the EconoPACK™ 4 is

already started with the MIPAQ™ serve module. The MIPAQ™ serve

provides all the advantages of the EconoPACK™4 in addition with an

adapted optimized galvanically isolated driver electronic on top.

MIPAQ™ serve

Based on the EconoPACK™4, the MIPAQ™ serve is a semiconduc-

tor module in SixPACK configuration with additionally integrated

drive- and control electronics. The module includes the driver stages

for the IGBTs and a temperature measurement with digital output sig-

nal.

In addition to the increased reliability achieved by mechanical

improvements in the area of power electronics, the construction

being used offers more features that make the module more reliable.

1. A low voltage detection protects the module in case the supply

voltage is not sufficient

2. The monitoring of the IGBTs’ saturation voltage VCEsat guaran-

tees an efficient short circuit protection of the semiconductor

3. A precise temperature recording enables the user to define the

static thermal situation

4. Error signals for high- and low-side-driver inform about the func-

tioning of the driver parts

5. Use of PressFIT-technology for connecting the drivers to the

module

Apart from these electronic features, the device selection has been

made in such a way that the highest possible reliability is achieved.

This is supported for example by the waiving of optoelectronic com-

ponents. The short distance of drivers and power electronics and the

resulting generation of heat would influence the life time of optocou-

plers. This would have a negative impact on long-term reliability.

Instead of optocouplers, galvanicly isolating couplers based on Infi-

neon Coreless Transformer Technology (CLT) are used, which form

the core of the EiceDriver™ part 1ED020I12-F [8].

New products like “EconoPACK™ 4” and the “MIPAQ™ serve” share

new technologies like, PressFIT contacts, the US welding technology

and the latest IGBT and Diode chip technology. All these products

from Infineon are well prepared for the next future trends in power

electronics. The EconoBRIDGE™ 4, a half controlled input rectifier,

will extend the EconoPACK™4 product family as well as the 600V

and 1700V IGBT SixPACK modules.

Further information about the EconoPACK™ 4 is available at .

References

[1] W.Rusche, M.Bässler, 1200V IGBT4 Low and Medium Power

Chips designed for the need of the application, Bodo´s Power

Systems June 2007

[2] W.Rusche, M.Bässler, The 4th generation of the 1200V Emitter

Controlled Freewheeling Diode, Bodo´s Power Systems October

2007

[3] M. Feldvoß, G. Miller, A new modular concept of solderable mod-

ules simplifies Inverter

engineering and logistics, PCIM Proc. 1996, Nuremberg

[4] R.Tschirbs, G.Borghoff, T.Nübel, W.Rusche, G.Strotmann, Ultra-

sonic metal welding as a

contact technology for state of the art power modules, PCIM

2008 Nürnberg

[5] W.Rusche, R.Tschirbs Ultrasonic Metal Welding-A new robust

and reliable contact for the next generation of power modules,

Bodo Power Systems October 2008

[6] T.Stolze, M.Thoben, M.Koch, R.Severin, Reliability of PressFIT

connection, PCIM 2008 Nürnberg

[7] W.Rusche, “Characteristic differences between 1200V IGBT3

modules of E3 and T3 series”, Infineon Application Note

[8] Datasheet, Singel IGBT-Driver 1ED020I12-F

http://www.infineon.com/econopack4


Figure 7 : MIPAQ™ serve, 1200V SixPack with integrated IGBT driv-er and digital temperature measurement based on EconoPACK™4


P O W E R M O D U L E S

Power Semiconductors Take the Lead for Pulse Power

ApplicationsSolid State Switches from ABB for pulse power applications

Pulse power applications have for long been dominated by electron tubes like thyratronsand ignitrons. Due to the increased performance, the controllability and the long life time

of power semiconductor devices, the tubes are gradually being replaced by power semiconductor assemblies The improved power semiconductor devices also enables the

use of pulse power equipment in new applications, where tubes are not a viable solution.

By Adriaan Welleman and Björn Backlund, ABB Switzerland Ltd, SemiconductorsABB Switzerland Ltd, Semiconductors in

Lenzburg has been successfully producing

power semiconductor devices for several

years which are optimized for pulsed power

applications. These components will replace

in the near future most of the high power

electron tubes like thyratrons or ignitrons in

various applications. Most of the applications

are for pulse modulators switching very short

high energy pulses.

The speciality of these optimized semicon-

ductor devices of ABB is the very fast

switch-on capability – in micro second range

-, the high current rise rate and the capability

to handle high peak currents. This is often

realized by combining a GCT-semiconductor

device with a special designed driver unit

which is optimized for fast switch-on opera-

tion, but has no switch-off capability. There-

fore it can be used for capacitor discharge

applications for pulse forming networks for

pulse modulators. With these devices it is

possible to pulse very high energy into a

load, which can be a Pulse Transformer or a

Klystron. Using this type of devices ABB is

making complete switch assemblies which

combine the IGCT (Integrated Gate Commu-

tated Thyristor) semiconductor devices, often

in series connection, an isolated clamping

system, integrated power supply, optical trig-

gering and air or water cooled heat sinks.

Other devices, like thyristors or IGBTs, are

also used for these applications depending

on the specific application requirements. The

following two examples show how BiPolar as

well as BiMOS-devices have successfully

been implemented in different pulsed power

systems.

Power Supplies for Airport Approach

Radar Systems

For several years a complete solid state

switch assembly with optimized semiconduc-

tor devices was developed for the Massa-

chusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in

Boston/USA, and these switches are in the

meantime the key component for the mod-

ernization of Airport Approach Radar Sys-

tems. After long term tests, type tests and

field tests, MIT recommended the ABB tech-

nology to the FAA (Federal Aviation Adminis-

tration) who has in turn recommended this to

an equipment maker in USA, who is the pro-

ducer of the airport radar systems. In 2007

ABB Switzerland Ltd received an order for a

total of several hundred complete switch

assemblies, each containing 3 IGCT

devices. The order is one of the largest of its

kind for this application and is a clear break-

through for the technology itself. This new

technology was used to refurbish the exist-

ing radar systems at all 132 civil airports in

the US and replace the relative unreliable

thyratron tubes. Per airport at least two sys-

tems are used and including some spares, a

total quantity of 296 switches has been sup-

plied. The customer and end-user are both

very happy with the technical and logistic

performance of ABB.

Advantages for the end-user

The solid state semiconductor switch has,

compared with thyratrons, a clear longer life

time and is practical maintenance free.

Despite higher initial costs of the switch, the

solid state design is cheaper during opera-

tion and already paid back after a few years.

This because thyratron tubes have to be

regularly adjusted and replaced which

results in cost for the tube, the maintenance

person and the down period of the system. It

is expected that further new developments

will be direct equipped with solid state

switches. Because the ABB switch is built up

with bipolar monolithic – one wafer per

device - IGCT components, it shows a very

high reliability compared with other semicon-

ductor technologies, especially for pulsed

applications. This is good for radar system

users, but also other application areas like

medical systems, safety systems and envi-

ronmental protection systems are benefiting

from this technology since the last years.

ABB is actually involved in several other

Figure1: 296 Units of this type, completelyassembled with air cooled heat sinks, powersupply and glass fibre epoxy clamping sys-tem are used for the US Airport Radars


projects and deliveries in the application field of pulsed energy and

the world wide customer base recognizes the long term collected

know-how. The demand for solid state technology in pulsed power is

rapidly increasing and beside the standard semiconductor component

business a new market segment can be served.

Technology and Data

The solid state switch used for the Airport Approach Radar Systems

is built-up with three IGCTs in series connection. The devices are

reverse conducting, and have a switching part (with GTO structure)

and a freewheeling diode monolithic integrated on one silicon wafer.

The result is a practical induction free construction. The driver unit is

special designed for very fast turn-on and because the application is

for capacitor discharge, there is no need for turn-off. As the driver

unit is direct assembled around the semiconductor device again very

low induction is the result.

Three components each with a blocking voltage of 4500V are sand-

wiched between air cooled heat sinks. All three driver units are pow-

ered by one 25 kHz / 4A current source, with a HV cable through an

inductive coupling. The triggering of the driver units is done by an

optical signal which is transferred from a light distribution box. The

safe operation area for this type of switch is in the range of 6.5kVdc,

Peak Current 1.4kA, Pulse duration 2.5μs, Current Rise Rate 6kA/μs,

Pulse Repetition Rate 1200Hz and ambient temperature of -10 …

50°C.

Power supply with BiMos devices for large fish barriers

To clean a number of rivers and canals in the US from excessive

vegetation, Asian carps were released in these waters some years

ago. Since the carps have no natural enemies, they could grow in

size, some grow up to 1.5 m length, their numbers are beyond what

was expected, and their ability to jump up to 1 meter above the sur-

face has made them even dangerous to people. Especially for the

Chicago Sanitary & Shipping Canal, a 50 m wide and 9 m deep canal

that carries a quite big portion of waste water, thus enhancing the

vegetation growth, the carps became a serious problem. To avoid

that the carps spread to other rivers and lakes, measures had to be

taken, and in support, the state of Illinois funded solutions to control

the carps without poisoning or exterminating them. A US company

got the assignment to build electric fish barriers that are able to repel

the carps from passing certain sections of the canal. This is done by

installing electrodes in the riverbed that sends electrical impulses in

the water. The impulses can be sensed early by the carps and hence

they avoid approaching them and turn back instead, thus staying

within the boundaries set by the fish barriers.

Technology and Data

To realize this project the US Company turned to ABB to take advan-

tage of the experience gathered in the pulsed power field. The

required power was larger than any other installed fish barrier which

made it a real challenge just to define and specify the project. The

final design was a switch that can deliver short rectangular pulses

from a 650 kJ capacitor bank with an amplitude of 30 kA at 3.4 kV

DC at a nominal frequency of 15 Hz into a 42 μH load. The pulse

repetition frequency can be set between 0.5 and 100 Hz.


Figure2: The IGCT Component complete with driver unit. The switch-ing part and the freewheeling diode are monolithic integrated on thesame silicon wafer

Figure3: Simplified circuit diagram for the assembly used for the USAirport Radars

Figure4: Wave form from the type testing with increased voltage andcurrent

Figure5: Outline of the canal with fish barrier, electrodes and theswitch gear building

To realize the switch assembly, standard HiPak IGBT-modules were

used. Due to the high voltage and high current 32 pieces of the 3.3

kV, 1.2 kA module 5SNA 1200E330100, that normally are used in

traction applications, were used with 16 pieces in parallel and 2

pieces in series connection. Each fish barrier has two switches mak-

ing a total of 64 IGBT-modules per barrier. The first barrier is since

some time in operation and when the results have been evaluated it

will be decided if this kind of electric barriers will be also installed in

more rivers and canals in other parts of the country.

www.abb.com/semiconductors


Figure7: IGBT Modul ABB P/N: 5SNA 1200E330100. 32 pieces areused per switch

MAKING MODERN LIVING POSSIBLE

Simplify your design!

Danfoss Silicon Power GmbH • Heinrich-Hertz-Straße 2 • D-24837 Schleswig, Germany • Tel.: +49 4621 9512-0 • Fax: +49 4621 9512-310

E-mail: [email protected] • http://siliconpower.danfoss.com

E0 to E3 size Short and long pins Flexible pin-outIGBT’s and MOSFET’s from world class manufacturers Low and high voltage

For industry, transportation and automotive

We design and manufacture to your needs.

99

36

30 Bodo´s Power Systems® November 2008 www.bodospower.comBodo´s Power Systems® November 2008 www.bodospower.com

D R I V E R

Simple tools for MOSFETdriver selection

Select the correct power-switching element for the application

A simple spreadsheet, and a few equations, could hold the key to selecting the optimum MOSFET driver for each application.

By Cliff Ellison, Microchip Technology Inc.Charging and discharging a MOSFET’s gate

requires the same amount of energy, regard-

less of how fast or slow the gate voltage

transitions. Selecting the right MOSFET driv-

er for a specific application, therefore,

requires a thorough understanding of power

dissipation in relation to the MOSFET’s gate

charge and operating frequencies.

MOSFET drivers are typically used to con-

vert logic signals to higher voltage and cur-

rent levels to achieve fast response times for

turning MOSFET gates on and off. For

example, MOSFET drivers can be used to

convert a 5V, low current microcontroller out-

put signal to an 18V drive signal, with a cur-

rent of several amperes, for a power-MOS-

FET input.

A MOSFET driver’s power dissipation is due to

one of three factors: charging and discharging

the MOSFET’s gate capacitance; the driver’s

quiescent-current draw; and cross-conduction

or shoot-through current in the MOSFET driv-

er. Of these three factors, power dissipation

due to the charging and discharging of the

MOSFET’s gate capacitance is the most

important, especially at lower switching fre-

quencies. This is shown by:

Pc = Cg x Vdd2 x F

Where

Cg = MOSFET gate capacitance

Vdd = Supply voltage of MOSFET driver (V)

F = Switching frequency

The importance of peak drive current

In addition to power dissipation, designers

must understand the peak drive current

required from the MOSFET driver and the

associated turn-on and turn-off times. Match-

ing the MOSFET driver to the MOSFET in a

specific application depends on the speed at

which the application requires the power

MOSFET to be switched on and off. The

optimum rise or fall time in any application is

based on a number of requirements, such as

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), switch-

ing losses, lead/circuit inductance and

switching frequency. The relationship

between gate capacitance, transition times,

and the MOSFET driver current rating is pro-

vided by:

dT = [dV xC]/ I

Where

dT = Turn-on/turn-off time

dV = Gate voltage

C = Gate capacitance

I = MOSFET peak drive current

The total MOSFET gate capacitance can be

determined by looking at the total Gate

Charge (QG). QG is given by:

QG= C x V

Then I = QG /dT

This method assumes a constant current. A

good rule of thumb is that the average value

is typically half of the MOSFET driver’s peak

current rating.

MOSFET drivers are rated by the driver out-

put peak current drive capability. The peak

current rating is typically stated for the part’s

maximum bias voltage which means that, if

the MOSFET driver is being used with a

lower bias voltage, its peak current drive

capability will be reduced.

For example, the required MOSFET peak-

drive current can be calculated by using the

following design parameters from a vendor’s

data sheet.

MOSFET gate charge = 20 nC (Q)

MOSFET gate voltage = 12V (dV)

Turn-on/turn-off time = 40 ns (dT)

Based on the above equation,

therefore: I = 0.5A

Another method that can be used to select

the appropriate MOSFET driver is to use a

time-constant approach. This uses the MOS-

FET driver resistance, any external gate

resistance, and the lumped capacitance.

Tcharge = ((Rdriver+Rgate) * Ctotal) *TC

Where

Rdriver = RDSON of the output driver stage

Rgate = Any external gate resistance

between the driver and the MOSFET gate

Ctotal = Total gate capacitance

TC = Number of time constants

For example:

Qtotal = 68 nC, Vgate = 10V, Tcharge = 50

nsec, TC = 3, Rgate = 0 ohms

Rdriver = (Tcharge/TC*Ctotal) -Rgate

therefore Rdriver = 2.45 ohms

As this equation represents an R-C time

constant, using a TC of 3 means that the

capacitance will be charged to 95 percent of

the charging voltage after the Tcharge time.

Most MOSFETs are fully on by the time the

gate voltage reaches 6V. Based upon this, a

TC value of 1, representing 63 percent of

charging voltage, may be more useful for the

application and allow a lower-current driver

IC to be used.

MOSFET drivers for motor control

In motor-control applications, where the

motor speed and direction of rotation vary,

the voltage applied to the motor needs to be

modulated. The most appropriate gate-drive

scheme for achieving this will be dictated by

the type of motor, power-switching topology

and power-switching element.

The first step is to select the correct power-

switching element for the application which,

in turn, would depend on the ratings of the

motor being driven. An important parameter

to consider is the start-up current value,

which can be up to three times the value of

the steady-state operating current.

There are two main choices for power-

switching elements in motor drives: MOS-

FETs and IGBTs. Assuming that a MOSFET

is the preferred element, the MOSFET driver

rating for the gate-drive application can be

determined.

As shown in Figure 1, the input stage of the

device converts the incoming low-voltage

signal to a full range, GND-to-Vdd signal that

turns a cascaded chain of increasingly

stronger drive stages on and off. MOSFETs

Q1 and Q2 represent the MOSFET driver’s

pull-up and pull-down output driver stages.

Viewing the MOSFET driver’s output stage

as a push-pull pair of MOSFETs, makes it is

easy to understand its operation.

For a non-inverting driver, when the input

signal goes to a high state, the common

gate signal of Q1 and Q2 is pulled low. The

transition of this gate node from Vdd to GND

typically occurs in less than 10 ns. This fast

transition limits cross-conduction time

between Q1 and Q2, and quickly brings Q1

to its fully enhanced state in order to reach

peak current as soon as possible. This is

one of a number of possible MOSFET driver

configurations.

The equations shown above can be used to

select the correct MOSFET driver once the

type of motor, power-switching elements,

and gate-drive scheme are known.

Spreadsheet holds the key

When a MOSFET has been chosen, a ven-

dor-supplied spreadsheet, such as Microchip

Technology’s Power MOSFET Driver Calcu-

lator (www.microchip.com/MOSFETDriver-

Calculator), can be used to select the most

appropriate MOSFET driver. This easy-to-

use tool enables quick determination of the

MOSFET driver’s required peak current.

The information in the datasheet for the cho-

sen MOSFET is used to insert values into

the appropriate boxes for input conditions.

These conditions will include MOSFET drain-

to-source voltage (Vds), MOSFET gate-to-

source voltage (Vgs), MOSFET driver volt-

age (Vdd), switching frequency, duty cycle,

estimated rise time (tr) and the total gate

charge (QG).

The MOSFET driver’s peak output current

(IPK) is then calculated. From the IPK, the

most appropriate and cost-effective MOS-

FET driver can now be identified. After arriv-

ing at the chosen MOSFET driver, the tool

calculates the device’s power dissipation and

the maximum ambient operating temperature

allowed without heat sinking.

Conclusion

There are two important factors to consider

when selecting the optimum MOSFET driver

for a particular application: the MOSFET dri-

ver’s power-handling capability in relation to

device package and ambient operating tem-

perature; and the peak drive current

required from the MOSFET driver, calculated

from the total gate charge of the power

MOSFET.

Simple spreadsheet tools, such as

Microchip’s Power MOSFET Driver Calcula-

tor and the equations provided in this article,

enable designers to quickly zero-in on possi-

ble choices of MOSFET drivers that are suit-

able for each application.

www.microchip.com

www.bodospower.com November 2008

Figure 1: Example block diagram of a MOSFET driver

Whatever you invent, imagine or develop, LEM’s transducers are at the heart of your power electronics applications from the very start.

LEM’s products, R&D, and people provide knowledge intensive solutions to keep up with your changing industry, allowing your visions to come to life.

www.lem.com

Already part of your vision.

LEM.

SPS/IPC/

Drives

Hall 1.638


The Power Distribution Network

A modern, low-voltage microprocessor can change its current

demand from a few amperes to over a hundred amperes in nanosec-

onds, but cannot tolerate an accompanying voltage shift greater than

a few tens of millivolts. This places tough demands on the Power

Distribution Network (PDN) to maintain voltage regulation in response

to rapid load changes. Figure 1 illustrates the nature of the challenge

by showing the direction and speed of power-flow through the PDN in

response to a quickly changing load current.

During the first few instants after the load current changes, the small

capacitances associated with the die and package supply short-term

energy with time constants of tens of nanoseconds. The next level of

decoupling has traditionally been a combination of mid-level and

bulk-storage capacitors placed between the processor and the Volt-

age Regulator Module (VRM). Since the VRM cannot respond quickly

to load changes, the decoupling capacitors in the PDN hold the volt-

age steady until the VRM can sense the load change and respond

appropriately; typically within a few microseconds.

The VRM is usually a DC-DC converter that steps down the typical

12V produced by the computer’s main AC-DC power supply to the

lower voltages required by the microprocessor. This can be as low as

1.0V for the latest processors with low-voltage cores. Recent evolu-

tions of VRM technology have produced devices with higher switch-

ing frequencies and wider control bandwidth. Whereas conventional

VRMs were unable to respond to load changes faster than a few

kHz, advanced designs can now track load changes as fast as

100kHz. As a result, the requirement for bulk capacitance has fallen

from the order of tens of thousands of microfarads to a few hundred

microfarads. However, the requirement for mid-frequency decoupling

remains.

For mid-frequency decoupling, MLCCs have been preferred for their

combination of low ESL, low ESR and acceptable cost. To meet pro-

gressively increasing performance demands, however, engineers

have turned to high-capacitance MLCCs to limit growth in the sheer

number of capacitors required. Although these devices have helped

reduce part count, the total footprint is nevertheless increasing and

the cost per component is also rising. Other challenges for high-

capacitance MLCCs include lower than expected capacitance due to

DC bias application, small AC signal levels, TCC effects at elevated

temperature, and ageing effects.

Consolidating Decoupling Capacitance

The reduced requirements for bulk decoupling capacitance now

make it feasible to satisfy both bulk and mid-frequency coupling

using a small number of capacitors offering moderately high capaci-

tance, provided the devices also have low ESL and low ESR to

match the speed of MLCCs. To achieve this, Kemet has enhanced

the structure of tantalum-polymer capacitors, which have recently

taken over from traditional wet electrolytic capacitors for bulk storage.

The enhancements have resulted in a new generation of low-ESL

tantalum polymer capacitors. These allow engineers to replace the

traditional array of bulk and mid-frequency decoupling capacitors with

a much smaller number of devices; in some cases only a single

capacitor may be required.

Bulk decoupling design, generally, has been moving away from wet-

electrolyte wound-aluminium capacitors towards aluminium or tanta-

lum capacitors featuring solid polymer electrolyte. Their significantly

lower ESR allows acceptable performance with fewer capacitors

while maintaining reasonable cost. Desktop PCs have tended to use

wound aluminium conductive-polymer capacitors, while notebook PC

design has preferred tantalum polymer or stacked aluminium polymer

devices as a result of their very low ESR, moderately high capaci-

tance, volumetric efficiency and low profile.

This technology has provided a good basis on which to develop a

new type of capacitor capable of satisfying both bulk and mid-fre-

quency decoupling requirements. To produce low-ESL tantalum poly-

mer capacitors capable of exceeding the performance of MLCCs,

device designers have focused on minimising the loop area defined

by the capacitor’s high-frequency current path and the plane of the

circuit board.

C A P A C I T O R S

Capacitor Advances for Leaner,Faster, Power Distribution

Designers can replace conventional capacitors

Power distribution networks for PC processors are slimming down to respond morequickly to large changes in current demand at low operating voltages. High-speed voltage

regulator modules and new capacitor technologies optimised for very low equivalentseries inductance allow engineers to reduce size and component count by eliminating thelarge number of capacitors traditionally required for bulk and mid-frequency decoupling.

By Erik Reed, Kemet Electronics Corporation

Figure 1: Direction and speed of power-flow


Reducing Capacitor ESL

The effect of the loop area on equivalent inductance can be shown

by considering the high-frequency path between the capacitor elec-

trodes as a short loop of wire, as shown in figure 2. An AC current

passing through the wire creates a time-varying magnetic field

around the wire.

Some of this magnetic flux couples with the loop of wire and gener-

ates a voltage across it. The generated voltage depends directly on

the area of the loop and the amount of time-varying magnetic flux

density. While the flux density is proportional to the current in the

wire, it also depends on the shape of the current path; wider current

paths result in lower flux density than narrow paths. Since the induc-

tance of the wire is dependent on the ratio of the generated voltage

to the current passing through it, reducing the area of the loop at the

same time as increasing the width of the current path has the effect

of reducing the inductance.

Figure 3 shows x-ray photographs of three low-ESL tantalum capaci-

tors recently introduced to the market. Comparing these photographs

with figure 2, a current path and current loop can be readily identi-

fied. Given that high-frequency current will take the shortest path

available along the surface of the loop formed by the device and con-

necting circuitry, the loop in each case is highlighted by the outlined

surface shown below the respective x-ray pictures. The smaller this

outlined loop area, the lower the resulting inductance. With ESL val-

ues of no more than 0.3nH, the pictured devices have much lower

inductance than conventional tantalum capacitors, whose ESL usual-

ly falls between 1nH and 4nH.

Hence, low-ESL tantalum-polymer capacitors have been successfully

developed, but it is important to note that the ESL of the capacitor

cannot be completely separated from the inductance of the circuit in

which it operates. This means high-performance circuits not only

demand low-ESL capacitors but also require careful circuit board

design to achieve the lowest total inductance.

Low-ESL Capacitors in Practice

Figure 4(a) and 4(b) compare the performance of two types of low-

ESL capacitors against a conventional decoupling network compris-

ing conventional tantalum bulk capacitors with MLCCs performing

mid-frequency decoupling. In this experiment each assembly was

connected to a fast electronic load with rise time of 18ns simulating

the behaviour of a low-voltage microprocessor.

A current step of -80A and duration 4μs was applied. The ideal

desired response is a voltage drop of about 0.1V, with no undershoot

or ringing. In figure 4(a) showing the response of the conventional

network, both undershoot and ringing are present due to interactions

between the tantalum capacitors and MLCCs. Although it is possible

to trade off ringing against depth of undershoot, neither can be elimi-

nated completely.

Figure 4(b) shows the response of the two types of low-inductance

capacitors. The pair of Kemet T528Z tantalum capacitors produces

very similar response to a single, low-ESL aluminium capacitor. Both

devices are clearly superior to the conventional decoupling network.

However, the two low-ESL tantalum devices occupy less total board

area than the single aluminium device, and are also delivered in a

standard EIA 7343 footprint.

Conclusion: Slimmer PDNs for Future PC Platforms

The test results for low-ESL aluminium and tantalum capacitors show

that these devices can be used for decoupling purposes in PDNs

supplying high-performance processors operating at core voltages as

low as 1.0V. By using these devices alongside new, high-bandwidth

VRMs, designers can replace large numbers of conventional alumini-

um, tantalum and ceramic capacitors with just a few high-perform-

ance, low-ESL capacitors while at the same time controlling costs

and conserving board space.

www.kemet.com

C A P A C I T O R S

Figure 2: High-frequency path between the capacitor electrodes

Figure 3: X-ray photographs of three low-ESL tantalum capacitors

Figure 4a: Performance of two types of low-ESL capacitors

Figure 4b: Performance of two types of low-ESL capacitors


The Door Zone System module has become

a widely used solution: this module typically

contains a supply reference (voltage regula-

tor), motor controllers (mirror folder and

adjustment, power window), bulbs drivers (to

drive footwell, exterior, and blinker lamps),

special load drivers (camera view supply,

electro-chromic mirror glass control, mirror

heater) and a transceiver block that is

responsible for the communication between

all the subsystems in the automobile. The

transceiver can be either a CAN or LIN mod-

ule, according to cost and technical require-

ments. While CAN provides serial communi-

cation with a high level of security and

robustness in noisy environments and can

reach a bit rate of 1Mbit/s, the creation of

the LIN protocol assured the same level of

reliability as the CAN solution, with a signifi-

cant cost reduction, although much slower.

A new device, (named L9952GXP, see Fig.1)

gathers a Power Management Strategy, a

Lin Physical Layer, and Power Actuator Dri-

vers in an ‘all-in-one’ solution that provides a

sensible improvement, simplifying the Door

Zone Applications’ implementation. More

specifically, the device embeds several fea-

tures, as two 5V low drop voltage regulators

(the first one for microcontroller supply with

a current capability of 250mA and the sec-

ond one for peripheral supply with a current

capability of 100mA), the window watchdog,

and “wake-up” logic with cyclic contact moni-

toring. The device is LIN 2.0 compliant; a 24-

bit SPI interface is used for mode control

and diagnostics, and all the outputs are

short circuit and temperature protected.

Battery life is the most important factor in

electronic modules for automotive, and this

in turn means that current consumption of

electronic devices must be minimized.

Because of this, car makers focus on quies-

cent current when choosing a specific device

for a specific application. In this sense, one

of the most valuable features of the

L9952GXP, also called the companion chip,

is its advanced power management: this

concept, in applications like the door zone,

reduces system quiescent current to a mini-

mum. In order to do this, two independent

voltage regulators (V1 and V2) are neces-

sary.

V1

The first voltage regulator provides 5V sup-

ply voltage and up to 250mA continuous

load current for the external digital logic

(micro controller, CAN transceiver ...). In

addition, regulator V1 drives the internal

companion chip’s 5V loads. The voltage reg-

ulator must be protected against overload

and over-temperature. An external reverse

current protection has to be provided by the

application circuitry to prevent the output

capacitor from being discharged by negative

transients or low input voltage. The output

voltage precision is better than ±2% (includ-

ing temperature drift, line regulation and load

regulation) for operating mode; respectively

±3% during low current mode. Current limita-

tion of the regulator ensures fast charge of

external bypass capacitors. The output volt-

age is stable for ceramic load capacitors big-

ger than 220nF (instead of bigger and

expensive electrolytic capacitors).

If device junction temperature hits thermal

shutdown, all outputs except V1 will be

deactivated - high side switches, low side

switches, and the other regulator V2, LIN.

Hence, the microcontroller has the possibility

for interaction or error logging. In case of

exceeding a higher thermal shutdown

P O W E R M A N A G E M E N T

Power Management Device forDoor Zone Systems

Battery life is the most important factor in electronic modules forautomotive

Vehicle manufacturers call for lower and lower current consumption for every module in thecar: severe requirements are common to almost all the ‘over key’ applications in the bodysegment. Those specific electronic subsystems must also operate in ultra-standby mode,

drawing a very low quiescent current, and this minimum sink current maximizes andextends the battery life. The most effective way to reduce current loss is to optimize at the

‘module level’ and not at ‘device level’ as was done for the previous generation of modules.

By Martina Giuffrida, Technical Marketing Engineer, STMicroelectronics and Giovanni Torrisi, Senior Technical Marketing Engineer, APG CAR BODY Division,

STMicroelectronics

Figure 1: A Power Management Strategy, aLin Physical Layer, and Power Actuator Dri-vers in an ‘all-in-one’ solution that provides asensible improvement

13th European Conferenceon Power Electronics

and Applications

Receipt of synopses:Monday 3 November 2008

Receipt of full papers:Monday 11 May 2009

EPE 2009 Barcelona, Spain

www.epe2009.com


threshold (TSD2), V1 will then be deactivat-

ed. A timer is started and the voltage regula-

tor is deactivated for 1 second. During this

time, all other wakeup sources (CAN, LIN,

and WU1...4) are disabled. After 1 second,

the voltage regulator will try to restart auto-

matically. If this higher threshold (TSD2)

occurs within one minute and for 8 consecu-

tive times, the device enters a mode named

‘VBAT standby mode’. This standby mode,

later described, can also be reached in case

of a short to ground of V1 after the initial turn

on. In this case, the reactivation (wake-up)

of the device can be achieved with signals

from CAN, LIN, WU1 to WU4, SPI.

V2

The smaller voltage regulator, V2, supplies

additional 5V loads (for example, logic com-

ponents, external sensors, external poten-

tiometers). The continuous load current is

50mA. The regulator provides accuracy bet-

ter than ± 3% at 50mA (±4% at 100mA). In

case of a short to ground of V2 after the ini-

tial turn on, the V2 regulator is switched off.

The microprocessor has to send a clear

command to reactivate the V2 regulator.

The power-management functionality of the

device allows it to reach the quiescent cur-

rent required for different sleep modes. Typi-

cal values are in the range of 100ìA per

module. The concept of the power-manage-

ment functionality of the L9952GXP is

depicted by the fact that the microcontroller

can be operated in stop or halt mode, or can

be disabled even by switching off the 5V

supply. The required read-out of the contacts

is executed by the power-management

device. Thus, the device can be operated in

cyclic and in static read-out configuration of

the contacts, depending on the carmaker’s

specification and target for quiescent cur-

rent. The setting is programmed via SPI

before entering the sleep mode, and then

the companion chip operates independently.

The time base for the cyclic contact supply

and read-out is generated autonomously

inside the power management device by

using an integrated RC oscillator. An addi-

tional filtering strategy (debouncing) for

wake-up inputs is realized without any addi-

tional use of the microcontroller, using the

internal time base. This avoids any wake-up

events induced by EMC noise.

VBAT standby mode

To achieve minimum current consumption

during VBAT standby mode, all the functions

(except the ones for wake-up functionality)

are switched off.

In VBAT standby mode the current consump-

tion of the L9952GXP is reduced to 7ìA, typi-

cal (without cyclic

sense feature

selected). The tran-

sitions from active

mode to either V1

standby or VBAT

standby are con-

trolled by SPI.

VBAT standby mode

is dominant; if rele-

vant bits, V1 stand-

by and VBAT stand-

by are set to “1”, the

device will enter

VBAT standby mode

V1 standby mode

In this mode, out-

puts and internal

loads are switched

off. To supply the

microcontroller in a

low power mode,

the voltage regulator

1 (V1) remains active. The intention of the

V1 standby mode is to preserve the ROM

contents of the external micro. A cyclic con-

tact supply and wake-up input sense feature

(for cyclic monitoring of external contacts)

can be activated by SPI.

Cyclic contact monitoring

In addition to a continuous sensing (static

contact monitoring) at the wake-up inputs, a

cyclic wakeup feature is implemented. This

feature allows periodical activations of the

wake-up inputs to read the status of the

external contacts. The periodical activation

can be linked to Timer 1 (0.5sec to 4.0sec in

0.5sec steps) or Timer 2 (50ms). The input

signal is filtered with a filter time of 16us

after a programmable delay (80us or 800us).

A wake-up will be processed if the status

has changed versus the previous cycle.

Both standby modes (V1 and VBAT) support

cyclic sense of the contacts.

Compared to the static contact monitoring,

the main advantage of the cyclic contact

supply and sense is a significant reduction of

power consumption. For the open active

contact (closed in not active state) - for

example, when the power consumption in

static mode is around 10mA for one contact;

with the cyclic contact sense, this contact

supply current is reduced to a short time

when the contact is checked while the cur-

rent consumption of the L9952GXP increas-

es by approximately 65uA. Furthermore,

when cyclic contact monitoring is adopted,

the contact does not have to be powered by

an external power source.

Contact monitoring is done during the “On-

Time” phase of the timer selected for cyclic

sense functionality. During the remaining

timer period, the contact is not powered: this

is why it is not consuming any power.

Of course, this feature does effect some

contact configurations like opening contact,

contacts which have two stable positions

(On/Off), and contacts with parallel resist-

ance or parasitic resistance (due for exam-

ple to humidity).

However, regardless of the configuration, the

cyclic monitoring limits the current consump-

tion in case of a stuck contact switch.

In order to reduce WU input leakage current

when the contact is not powered and float-

ing, the current sink or current source config-

uration is active only during the “Off-Time”

phase of the timer for cyclic sense.. When

the contact is checked (timer “On-Time”

phase), the wake-up input is automatically

reconfigured to the setup used in Active

mode where an internal pull-down of 200K¿

is activated.

As shown in Figure 3, any of the outputs has

to be set to timer 1 or timer 2 mode to be

able to power the contact in standby mode.

Timer 2 is usually intended for contact

sense, but timer 1 can be used as well if its

settings are appropriate. The cyclic sense of

the contact is based on the selected timer

settings. The WAKE_UP input which is used

for contact sensing must have the filter con-

figuration relative to the adopted timer set-

tings that means the right period and “On-

time”.

If the configuration of the Output and the

WAKE_UP input filter is correct and the


Figure 2 shows the two possible standby modes in a door aone mod-ule VBAT standby and V1 standby. Both of them, described below,support the cyclic contact sensing.

www.bodospower.com

device is switched to stand by mode, during

every “On-time” phase of the selected timer

the contact supply is activated (black contact

supply in Figure 3) and the contact status is

evaluated at the WAKE_UP input. The input

signal is filtered and the WAKE_UP is

processed when a level change on the input

is detected.

Thermal behavior

The L9952GXP is housed in PowerSSO-36,

which is a new power package ST designed

to meet the market requirements that contin-

uously call for increasing thermal perform-

ance.

Thermal performance is an especially critical

factor within the small PCB area of the door

zone system, which integrates several elec-

tronic devices closely together. For this rea-

son, new power packages such as the Pow-

erSSO family have been designed r to save

space PCB real estate and to improve ther-

mal performance as compared to standard

“SO” plastic packages. The body dimension

of a PowerSSO-12, for example, is the same

as an SO-8, while the body dimension of a

PowerSSO-24 is the same as an SO-16.

The main difference between the “classic”

plastic packages and the newer power pack-

ages is that in these new ones the heat dis-

sipation from the chip to the PCB is per-

formed through an exposed slug or pad sol-

dered directly onto the PCB. This character-

istic improves the overall junction-to-ambient

thermal resistance when compared to the

“SO” standard packages for integrated cir-

cuits, where the heat propagates through

leads only. Building on ST’s long experience

as a leader in power management ICs and

smart-power technology, the L9952GXP

reduces the PCB area and Bill of Materials,

thereby enabling customers to minimize the

complete system cost.

All these features make the L9952GXP a

sophisticated but user-friendly power man-

agement device ideal for compact and light-

weight systems. A very low quiescent current

can be achieved with the use of this device.

Control and diagnostics are managed

through a serial peripheral interface (SPI),

and superior thermal performance is guaran-

teed with the small power packages as the

PowerSSO-36, that offers the optimum

trade-off between thermal behavior, dimen-

sions, and cost.

www.st.com


Figure 3: Any of the outputs has to be set totimer 1 or timer 2 mode to be able to powerthe contact in standby mode

Telephone: +49 (27 71) 9 [email protected]

www.isabellenhuette.de

Innovation from tradition

Low-ohmicVMx precision resistors

Keeping ahead:3 watt power loss (size 2512)max. 25A constant currenttcr < 20ppm/KRthi < 20K/W

This is unrivalled quality.

On pole position.

Isa-AnzeigeVMx_POLE_BodosPower_125x215.indd 1 29.04.2008 11:59:58


This article discusses the basics of buck converters, the differences

between PWM Mode and PFM Mode operation and describes in

more detail a time controlled PFM mode technique, which is used in

modern buck converters.

In several applications (e.g. audio), the PFM output ripple voltage,

frequency and transitioning point between PFM and PWM operation

is often a concern. With a time controlled PFM Mode, the perform-

ance can be fine tuned with external components to meet these spe-

cific application requirements.

Buck Converter Basics

Figure 1 shows a simplified schematic of a buck regulator featuring

the high-side PMOS switch (Q1) and low-side NMOS rectifier (Q2).

Each MOSFET also includes a back-gate diode as shown in the dia-

gram.

A buck converter operates by applying a fixed frequency pulse width

modulated (PWM) waveform to a low-pass filter composed of an

inductor L and an output capacitor COUT. The filter then averages

the PWM waveform, resulting in a DC output voltage. For highest

efficiency considerations, low voltage DC/DC converters generally

use synchronous rectification (SR) schemes for minimizing the con-

duction loss, refer to Figure 1.

To begin a discussion of DC/DC converters, a few fundamental rela-

tionships need understanding. In an ideal (lossless) buck converter,

the input voltage and the duty cycle of the switch determine the out-

put voltage.

Where the duty cycle is defined as the ratio of the main switch Q1

ON time to the switching period. This relationship holds as long as

there is continuous current flowing in the inductor.

The next step is to follow the operation of the circuit for one switching

cycle.

In a first step, the PWM signal turns on the main switch (Q1) and the

inductor current transitions from the SR (Q2) to the switch (Q1). The

current flows from the input capacitor via the high-side switch (Q1)

through the inductor into the output capacitor and into the load. To

close this loop, the current returns back to the input capacitor. During

this phase, the current in the high-side switch (Q1) and the inductor

ramps-up until the high side switch is turned off.

In a second step, the PWM signal turns off the main switch (Q1) and

the inductor current transitions from the switch (Q1) to the SR (Q2).

The current still flows from the inductor into the output capacitor and

into the load, but it returns back through the low-side MOSFET rectifi-

er (Q2). The inductor and rectifier current will ramp down. During the

rectification cycle, the input capacitor is charged-up.

Figure 2 shows a scope plot of a buck converter operating with a

load current of 200mA. The load current is equal to the average

inductor current. Note that the input voltage is 3.6V and the output

voltage 1.8V, therefore the duty cycle is c.a. 50%.

Another important relationship relates the inductor value to the

amount of AC ripple current in the converter.

IN

sw

onINOUT V

T

tVDV •=•=

P O W E R S U P P LY

Time Controlled Power-Save ModeMore Flexibility For Low-Power Synchronous Buck Converters

Modern synchronous buck converters for portable applications provide so called power-save mode operation to maintain high efficiency over the entire load range.

At light loads, the converter operates with pulse frequency modulation (PFM mode) and provides automatic transition into pulse width modulation (PWM mode)

at medium to heavy loads.

By Markus Matzberger, Portable Power Systems Engineer, Texas Instruments

Figure 1: Simplified Synchronous Buck Converter

Figure 2: Buck Converter, Fixed Frequency PWM Operation

www.bodospower.com Novewww.bodospower.com

The inductor peak current is defined as:

Conversely, the inductor valley current is defined as:

Why PFM Mode?

The formulation “PFM mode” stands for Pulse Frequency Modulation.

PFM is a nonlinear operation in which a series of inductor current

pulses are applied to the load and output capacitor to maintain the

output voltage within preset boundaries. This mode effectively lowers

the frequency of the switching-cycle events, thereby lowering the

switching losses in the converter.

In modern low-power DC/DC regulators, when Power Save Mode

(PSM) operation is enabled converters are automatically turning into

PFM mode regulation under light load condition.

During PFM operation, the Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) is

kind of in sleep mode. Only the internal reference and a low quies-

cent current comparator are enabled to supervise the output voltage,

a nonlinear control scheme is applied.

Most of the other functions of the DC/DC converter are turned-off,

thereby dramatically reducing the quiescent current consumption

down to c.a. 15 to 20uA. Once the output voltage falls below a cer-

tain threshold, the DC/DC converter wakes up and operates until the

output voltage is within its regulation limits.

PFM operation is primarily aimed to increase the DC/DC converter’s

efficiency under light load conditions. But as a side effect, it has influ-

ence on two major parameters of the DC/DC converter:

output voltage ripple

switching / burst frequency

The increase in conversion efficiency at light loads can be seen in

Figure 3.

2�III L

OUTL(VALLEY) ��

2�III L

OUTL(PEAK) ��

IN

OUT

sw

OUTINswOUTINL V

VFLVV

LTD)V(V

�I ��

��

�

Figure 3: Efficiency Comparison: PFM Mode vs. Fixed PWM Mode

Power Modules for Solar Inverters

98,8% European efficiency at 3kW nominalCompact flow0 housing

Further dedicated designs for isolated and three-level solar topologies are available.

�

�

Power Modules

www.vincotech.com

Main Features

P89x family

NEW flowSOL 0 BI family for non-isolated topologies

Bodo´s Power Systems® December 2008 www.bodospower.com40 Bodo´s Power Systems® December 2008 www.bodospower.com

Figure 4 shows the change in PFM switching frequency and its

impact on the output ripple voltage as the output current is increased

from 1.5mA to 50mA. This example is based on the TPS62260

device (2.25MHz, 600mA buck regulator) showing constant PFM out-

put ripple voltage, whilst the switching frequency is increasing with

higher load conditions.

Time Controlled PFM Mode ( TPS62240, TPS62260, TPS62290 )

The TPS62240, TPS62260, TPS62290 family of 2.25MHz buck con-

verters features a single threshold, variable on-time controlled PFM

mode. These devices feature an on-time controlled inductor peak

current modulation (vs. fixed inductor peak current) when operating

with a VOUT/VINratio of less than 85%.

In this case, the inductor peak current depends on the effective

inductance value. As a result, the output ripple voltage and the PFM

frequency can be influenced by both, the inductor and output capaci-

tance.

Below equation helps to estimate the PFM inductor peak current. The

time period (T1) reflects the nominal duration of a single PFM pulse.

With T1 ≈ 0.62μs, L in μH

In PFM mode, the device typically operates in a single pulse mode

and reduces progressively the dead-time between pulses as the load

current increases. As a matter of facts, the PFM frequency increases

up to the point it can not be supported any longer by a single pulse.

To maintain the output voltage within regulation, the device adds fur-

ther pulses to the sequence of maximum 16 pulses. In case the load

requirement can no longer be supported by a series of 16 pulses, the

device will automatically enter PWM mode operation.

The load current at which the device transitions from PFM into PWM

mode is mainly a function of the input and output voltages as well as

the inductance value.

A typical application circuit for 1.8V output voltage using TPS62240 is

given in Figure 7. The characteristics in Figure 8 to Figure 10 have

been measured with this circuit.

Figure 8 shows the difference in the output ripple voltage that can be

achieved by using different inductance. In the left graph, a 2.2μH

inductor has been connected to the device resulting in a 20mV peak

to peak ripple voltage at 10mA load. In the right hand-side graph, the

inductor value is roughly double, the output ripple voltage half and

the PFM frequency is approx. twice as high. In both cases an effec-

tive capacitance of 6μF (i.e. 10μF nominal) has been used.

2

)L(PEAK_PFMI

(PFM/PWM)I ≈

( )OUTV

INVL

VOUT-VINT1

(PEAK_PFM)LI ••

•≈


Figure 5: On-Time Controlled PFM Scheme (TPS62240, ‘260, ‘290)

Figure 6: Single Threshold PFM Regulator Block Diagram(TPS62240)

Figure 7: Typical Application Circuit of TPS62240 for 1.8V OutputVoltage

Figure 8: Output Ripple Voltage vs. Various Inductors

Figure 4: PFM Mode Frequency vs. Load Current (TPS6226x)


Figure 9 shows different PFM frequency characteristics over load

current and LC filter combinations. The PFM/PWM mode transition

point is primarily defined by the inductor value and the operating con-

dition and nearly independent of the output capacitor value.

The PFM/PWM transition point can be tailored by the inductor selec-

tion. For audio and low-power RF transmitter applications, an earlier

PFM/PWM transition point (i.e. at low load current) can help to mini-

mize interferences with other noise sensitive components in these

systems. The fixed frequency operation in PWM mode provides the

lowest output ripple

The PFM frequency characteristic starts at a few kHz (at very light

load) and increases with rising load current. Further load increase

increments the PFM pulse count, thus lowers the PFM burst frequen-

cy down to the PFM/PWM transition point. The PFM frequency at this

point can be approximated as:

Figure 10 presents the peak-to-peak output ripple voltage character-

istic vs. load current for a set of inductor and output capacitor combi-

nations.

For a given output capacitor (e.g. 10uF 6.3V 0603, 6uF effective), the

output ripple voltage characteristic can be improved with larger induc-

tances (e.g. 2.2μH to 3.3μH). Furthermore, the PFM/PWM mode

transition point is shifted towards lower output current values.

For a given inductor (e.g. 2.2μH), increasing the effective output

capacitance (2x 10uF 6.3V 0603, 12uF effective) helps to improve

the output ripple voltage performance without impacting the

PFM/PWM transition point. Suitable inductor ranges from 2.2μH to

4.7μH, output capacitors from 10μF to 22μF.

Conclusion

In practice, some designers of portable systems try to avoid designs

with variable-frequency converters because of the concern about EMI

or other aspects related to variable-frequency operation. In some

cases, these concerns are valid due to the interaction of PFM con-

verters with sensitive subsystems elsewhere in the portable product.

However, PFM architecture offers real benefits.

The basic operational differences between PWM and PFM architec-

tures have been reviewed. TI continuously drives forward the devel-

opment and optimization of PFM techniques to achieve best perform-

ance on key parameters such as output ripple voltage and quiescent

current.

If it is determined that the variable frequency operating range is too

wide for a sensitive application, the system designer should consider

the use of time controlled PFM mode. This offers some more flexibili-

ty to adjust the PFM output ripple voltage, to tune the burst frequency

characteristic and certainly offers better efficiency over fixed-frequen-

cy PWM mode.

As with many engineering problems, there is no single best answer

but a range of application specific issues that need to be considered.

www.ti.com

100kHzT1*161

(PFM/PWM)f ≈≈


Figure 10: PFM output ripple voltage vs. load currents vs. LC com-ponents

Figure 9: PFM frequency vs. load current vs. LC components

Customised filters, EMI suppression in prototypes

Prototype manufacture and series production

One-source supplier of EMC components:

capacitors, inductors and filters

EMC System Technology from One SourceAlways at your service – from the EMC problem to the certified product

EICHHOFF ELECTRIC GmbHHeidgraben 4 - D-36110 Schlitz, Germany

FON: (0049) 6642 801-0 - FAX: (0049) 6642 801-165

[email protected] - www.eichhoff.de


Ethernet technology is becoming widely

accepted due to multiple factors, including:

• the speed advantages over lower baud

rate protocols

• the number of tools available for trou-

bleshooting and optimizing a network,

• the broad base of competitive vendor

support and solution options and

• the large pool of trained personnel who

are familiar with the technology.

In addition, the ability to bridge existing pro-

prietary communications schemes makes it

possible to phase in the use of Ethernet

rather than having to replace everything at

once.

When asked, engineers most frequently

respond that they expect to use Ethernet to

integrate control systems in the future. But a

follow-up question, inquiring which Ethernet

protocols they plan to use, is often met with

confusion since some do not realize there

are thousands of protocols that are compati-

ble with, and can coexist on Ethernet net-

works.

In attempting to navigate this sea of proto-

cols, it is natural to look first to familiar ones

that offer the functionality we are used to

using on office networks, at home and on

the Internet. Using such protocols, Ethernet

can extend access to remote users through

web browsers and e-mail. But for an engi-

neer tasked with automating a process, the

challenge is to connect devices to other

devices to integrate automatic functions. For

example, a temperature controller may need

to get its set point from a Programmable

Logic Controller (PLC).

For the purpose of automation, Ethernet pro-

tocols such as HTTP, which allows web

browsers to display web pages, and SMTP

by which email messages are transmitted,

are ill suited. These protocols are designed

to transmit information over Ethernet, but the

information is in a form that requires human

interpretation. One purpose of automation is

to relieve humans of the tedious task of

monitoring and adjusting a process based on

feedback from sources such as pressure

gauges and mercury thermometers that

require human interpretation. Another pur-

pose of automation is, of course, to improve

process results by removing variations in

human interpretations and occasional misin-

terpretations from the process.

What is needed for automation are not pro-

tocols that transmit messages intended for

human eyes to interpret, but rather protocols

that transmit information structured for

automation devices to interpret. An example

of a control automation problem can be used

to illustrate this need.

An engineer who plans to automate a candy

packaging machine must consider not only

the sequential functions that fill the open bag

with candy, close the bag and drop the

sealed bag in to a box, but also the critical

temperature control of the sealing bar that

insures the candy stays safe, secure and

fresh in the sealed package. The engineer

must also consider the reliability of the

process and the ease-of-use.

A PLC may be ideal for the sequential func-

tions, but accurately controlling temperature

is also important. Here the candy packaging

engineer is traditionally faced with a dilem-

ma. The system can use the PLC to perform

temperature control directly or standalone

temperature controllers can be used in con-

junction with the PLC.

Performing temperature control in a PLC

presents numerous challenges. Program-

ming can be difficult, requiring expertise that

may not be available. Control algorithms can

interfere with other program functions by

consuming processing bandwidth, or require

the use of a more expensive PLC than

would otherwise be required. Control may be

sub-optimal because a simple on-off control

algorithm, the easiest to program in a PLC,

is used.

The alternative, using a standalone tempera-

ture controller, resolves these issues. Com-

mercially available temperature controllers

include advanced control algorithms and

automatic tuning, so little expertise is

required. The calculations and I/O updates

T E S T & M E A S R U R E M N E T

Integrating PID Controllers into Automated Processes via

Ethernet Ethernet will play a significant role in the foreseeable future

Ethernet communications is rapidly gaining popularity in industrial applications because it enables the real-time exchange of information between processing equipment

and companies’ Ethernet-based management systems.

By Sean Wilkinson, Watlow

Figure 1: Thermistors

43www.bodospower.com

associated with temperature control are per-

formed by the PID controller’s processor,

freeing the PLC’s processing bandwidth for

other tasks. But in the past due to differ-

ences in the supported protocols, getting

standalone temperature controllers and

PLCs to communicate has been time con-

suming, costly and difficult as well. If the

PLC and temperature controller do not com-

municate, the machine depends on the oper-

ator to integrate these functions.

For example, if the candy packaging

machine uses a PLC to move the product

and a separate temperature controller to

heat-seal the package, when the demand for

candy increases and the production line

speeds up, the sealing operation must hap-

pen faster which may require a higher tem-

perature set point. If the PLC and tempera-

ture controller are not coordinated by the

automation system, if they do not communi-

cate, someone has to manually change the

temperature setting on the controller. With-

out the communications link, the chances

are greater that the temperature setting will

not be correct and the candy will not be

properly sealed in the package.

Engineers often prefer to use standalone

temperature controllers when performance of

control loops is important. They are also

used when the PLC application could be

negatively impacted by incorporating the

temperature controller, but traditionally the

cost and difficulty of integrating a tempera-

ture controller was a major barrier. Because

now many PLCs and a growing number of

temperature controllers support Ethernet-

based protocols intended for industrial appli-

cations, this barrier is falling away.

One such protocol is EtherNet/IP™

According to the Open DeviceNet Vendors

Association (ODVA™), the agency that

sponsors both DeviceNet™ and

EtherNet/IP™, EtherNet/IP™ is a member of

a family of networks that implements the

Common Industrial Protocol (CIP™) at its

upper layers. CIP™ encompasses a group

of messages and services for manufacturing

automation applications including control,

safety, synchronization, motion, configuration

and information. EtherNet/IP™ provides

users with the network tools to use standard

Ethernet technology for manufacturing appli-

cations while enabling Internet and enter-

prise connectivity.

Using EtherNet/IP™ specifically yields the

advantages of an Ethernet network, as well

as the advantages of CIP™ designed for

device-to-device communications. Those

advantages include:


Figure 2: Sensors

www.apec-conf.orgwww.apec-conf.org

2009February 13–21, 2009

Washington, DC

THE PREMIER

GLOBAL EVENT

IN POWER

ELECTRONICSTM

THE PREMIER

GLOBAL EVENT

IN POWER

ELECTRONICSTM

SPONSORED BY

Visit the Apec 2009

web site for the latest

information!


Explicit messaging, which allows devices to

be configured via the network. A device can

be detected and completely configured auto-

matically in the event a piece of hardware is

replaced.

Implicit messaging, which allows efficient

communication of data and instructions from

one device to another or from one device to

many consumers of data on the network.

This minimizes network traffic and allows the

speed advantage of Ethernet to be achieved.

Assurance of interoperability

All devices are tested by ODVA™ and users

can expect fewer problems when putting

devices from multiple vendors together on a

network.

Integration with other EtherNet/IP™ compli-

ant devices such as programmable logic

controllers (PLCs) or touch screen human-

machine interfaces (HMI).

EtherNet/IP™ allows engineers to integrate

various components such as PLCs and tem-

perature controllers with each other in effec-

tive and efficient control schemes.

An example of a temperature controller

designed for such automation solutions is

the new EZ-ZONE™ PM controller from

Watlow. With the EZ-ZONE PM controller

the engineer has the option to configure a

panel mount controller as a high amperage

power controller output with a high-perform-

ance PID controller, an over/under limit con-

troller or these functions can be combined

into an integrated controller. The new EZ-

ZONE PM provides a wide range of serial

communication choices including

EtherNet/IP™, Modbus® RTU, and Mod-

bus® TCP. These protocols give you the

ability to easily and inexpensively connect to

a PC, PLC or HMI to remotely configure,

manage and monitor the system’s perform-

ance. The EZ-ZONE is ideal for applications

where space is limited and a 1/16 DIN panel

mount is necessary. Having a less crowded

panel, fewer wiring connections, fewer dis-

crete components and better thermal loop

monitoring with error reporting are all bene-

fits to the user. The controller decreases

design and assembly time, requires less

panel space, minimizes system complexity

and best of all, lowers the total cost of own-

ership.

Another example, Watlow’s SERIES PD con-

troller utilizes embedded Ethernet technolo-

gy to provide a convenient, economical

means for setting up and viewing key

process variables. The SERIES PD con-

troller is ideally suited for a broad range of

temperature and process control applications

where the operator interface is supported

from a remote location. This single or dual

loop DIN-rail mount controller offers up to

four control/alarm outputs plus up to two dig-

ital or current transformer inputs. To support

access by remote users, the SERIES PD

provides a web server for configuration and

operation via a web browser. An e-mail can

be sent to service personnel for notifying

operators of alarms and other conditions. In

order to better support integration in automa-

tion solutions, in 2005, the SERIES PD

became the first temperature controller to

offer ODVA™ Ethernet/IP™ conformance

tested communications.

Watlow’s EM gateway offers Ethernet con-

nectivity for existing devices that communi-

cate via the Modbus® RTU protocol on an

RS-485 network. The EM gateway provides

a quick, convenient and economical means

of adapting controllers to Ethernet connectiv-

ity by bridging communications from Mod-

bus® RTU on RS-485 to Modbus® TCP on

Ethernet. The EM gateway also acts as a

web server for supported temperature con-

trollers, allowing users to remotely monitor

the process variables and alarms. The user

can remotely set the set points for tempera-

ture control in an Internet browser. Users

can receive e-mail messages when alarms

occur in supported controllers. The features

of Ethernet protocols act as extensions of

the user interface, making it more conven-

ient for operators and supervisors to monitor

processes and equipment. For industrial

automation solutions the gateway bridges

messages from, for example a PLC support-

ing Modbus® TCP on Ethernet to a 485 net-

work of devices communicating via Mod-

bus® RTU. With products such as this, engi-

neers can begin converting networks to their

vision of an Ethernet future without having to

replace everything at once.

While there are many options for integrating

devices in automation solutions, it is clear

that Ethernet will play a significant role in the

foreseeable future. There are numerous Eth-

ernet protocol options, some provide more

functionality for remote access by users and

others provide more functionality for integrat-

ing devices. The emergence of protocols

such as EtherNet/IP™ enables engineers to

attain the advantages of using Ethernet in

industrial applications. The broad support by

suppliers for these protocols allows an engi-

neer to choose the best device for the job

without compromising the ease-of-use that

comes with fully integrating the control sys-

tem.

www.watlow.com

Figure 3: Ethernet connectivity


www.bodospower.comwww.bodospower.com

Your chance to shine......at the EMV marketplace

Further Information: +49-711-61946-26 or [email protected]

wwwe-emv.com

EMV 2009Stuttgart

International Exhibitionwith Workshopson ElectromagneticCompatibility (EMC)10-12 March 2009Messe Stuttgart

HolyStone (Europe) Ltd. has announced the release of their SMC

series of stacked Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors. With capacitance

values of up to 27uF, the SMC Series design offers the high capaci-

tance levels similar to tantalum product, but with the advantage of

extremely low ESR.

This, along with the strain relief provided by the lead frame design,

makes HolyStone’s SMC Series, with its MLCC design, particularly

useful in power supply, surge protection, DC-DC converters, industri-

al control circuits and other consumer product applications where

high CV is required.

www.holystonecaps.com

MLC Capacitors Provide lower

ESR than Tantalums

LCR Electronics, a

leading manufactur-

er of EMI filters,

electronic products

and high-end enclo-

sures for commer-

cial, appliance and

telecom, military

and aerospace

applications, now

offers a series of

double-stage, low-profile EMI filters that provides easier assembly

and reduced material costs.

The new 088 Series integrates a high attenuation EMI filter and IEC

power entry socket with an illuminated power switch and either a fuse

or a re-settable circuit breaker into one compact package, reducing

the number of components that need to be incorporated into a sys-

tem.

www.lcr-inc.com

Slim Line EMI Filter


N E W P R O D U C T S

With the EMC fil-

ter series, Tyco

Electronics

extends its cata-

logue range to

include a new

high-performance,

universally appli-

cable single-

phase filter for current ratings of up to 30A.

Due to its two-stage construction and use of

high-quality components, this extremely

compact dual-circuit filter series delivers high

common mode and differential mode attenu-

ation over the entire frequency range of

100KHz to 30MHz.

The EMC filter series is ideally suited to all

types of single-phase applications, which

require high attenuation to reduce wire-

induced interference to within required limits.

The filter can be used in a wide range of

devices, both in consumer electronics and in

industrial single-phase applications, such as

motor drives and switch mode power sup-

plies.

www.tycoelectronics.com

Filters Suitable for all Single-Phase Applications

IXYS Corporation

announces the

introduction of -

50V to -150V

TrenchPTM P-

Channel Power

MOSFETs with

30% lower device

on-resistance per

unit area than

best-competing P-

Channel devices

on the market. This new family of P-Channel

devices capitalize on benefits derived from

IXYS’ advanced trench cell technology com-

monly implemented in their portfolio of indus-

try recognized power devices. They feature

an ultra low on-resistance (Rdson) and gate

charge (Qg), minimizing conduction and

switching losses, while promoting improved

operating and thermal efficiencies.

These devices are ideal for ‘high side’

switching applications where a simple drive

circuit referenced to ground can be

employed, bypassing additional ‘high side’

driver circuitry commonly involved when

using an N-Channel MOSFET. This enables

designers to reduce component count, there-

by improving drive circuit simplicity and over-

all component cost structure. Furthermore, it

allows for the design of a complementary

power output stage with a corresponding

IXYS N-Channel MOSFET, for a power half

bridge stage with a simple drive circuit.

www.ixys.com

TrenchPTM P-Channel Power MOSFETs

The new FBV

series is a front-

end DC/DC con-

verter for the supply of

electronic platforms with a

precision voltage e.g. 24V and a

tolerance of ±2% as a function of input volt-

age, output current and an ambient tempera-

ture of –40°C - +85°C. The precision net-

work is generated from the vehicle’s rough

network with a voltage range of ≤0,4 to ≥1,5

times the nominal voltage Unom. Voltage

drops lower 0,4 times Unom or voltage inter-

ruptions down to 0V are bridged with an

active Hold-up time of 10 ms to >50ms. An

active cross plugging protection prevents the

converter’s damage in the case of a wrong

input voltage connection. Transients of 50V-

50ms / 70V-2ms or 100V-2ms

(VG96916/MIL1275B) are absorbed by an

active transient protection filter without cur-

rent reflexion in accordance to the interna-

tional Patent of SYKO. The converter is inte-

grated in an IP65-housing (optionally higher

protection level) and the EMC-activities lead

to the compliance of the VG95373 level 2 for

the input and output circuit. A floating and

polarity independent Sleep-mode switches

the converter inactive and realises a stand-

by current of ?0,5mA, which makes the FBV

series ideal for mobile applications on land,

in water and in the air.

www.syko.de

Precision Network Generation

Power Integrations launched five new mem-

bers of its popular TOPSwitch-HX family of

AC-DC power conversion ICs in the compa-

ny’s new 2-mm-high e-SIP-L package. The

new products are ideal for slim power

adapters used with netbook/laptop comput-

ers, printers and video game consoles, and

for LCD TVs and monitors where the trend

recently has been toward lower-profile and

more energy-efficient products.

The TOPSwitch-HX family is highly efficient

from light load to full power, which benefits a

wide range of applications where govern-

ment regulations limit energy usage at all

power levels.

www.powerint.com

TOPSwitch®-HX Offline Switcher ICs

The DMX-J-SA by Arcus Tech-

nologies is an advanced stepper

motor/driver/controller with a built-

in USB 2.0 interface that simpli-

fies communication and program-

ming tasks. The product offers

design flexibility and easy integra-

tion into the host system.

By combining the stepper motor, the motor driver, and a controller

into one NEMA 17 package, the DMX-J-SA provides a complete sin-

gle axis solution that can reduce system hardware requirements for

many automation and control applications.

The motor driver component is rated at 2.0 Amps max at 24 Volts

and supports 16 micro-step operation.

www.arcus-technology.com

Integrated Stepper Motor with USB 2.0

www.bodospower.com December 2008 Bodo´s Power Systems® 47www.bodospower.com December 2008 Bodo´s Power Systems®www.bodospower.com December 2008 Bodo´s Power Systems®

Maxim Integrated Products introduces the MAX16826 programmable,

four-string high-brightness (HB) LED driver for white, RGB, and RGB-

plus-amber LED configurations. Designed to enable the transition to

green lighting technology in automotive applications, this device max-

imizes system flexibility and provides the lowest solution cost for

backlight drivers.

The MAX16826 integrates a switching regulator controller; a 4-chan-

nel, linear current-source driver; an ADC; and an I2C interface. The

I2C interface allows dynamic programming of the output voltage to

maximize power efficiency; it also allows manufacturers to program

LED current for each string to accommodate LED binning variations,

thereby reducing implementation cost.

www.maxim-ic.com

Programmable Four-String High-Brightness LED Driver

National Semiconductor announced a series of innovative, energy-

efficient products that enable emerging automotive applications in

LED lighting, powertrain, safety and infotainment systems.

National’s temperature sensors, data converters, audio and opera-

tional amplifiers (op amps), as well as power management and inter-

face circuits, address the need for reliability and precision with high

temperature environments and wide operating voltage ranges. Many

of these devices, identified by the letter Q in the device name, con-

form to the Automotive Electronics Council’s AEC-Q100 reliability

specification, a special manufacturing flow that requires extended

testing and screening. All of these products help electronic system

designers develop safer cars with better fuel efficiency and provide

the driver with comfort and convenience.

www.national.com/analog/automotive

Energy-Efficient Analog Products

for Automotive Applications

FDK Corporation expands its Sensei Series

of isolated dc/dc converters with the addition

of a new high power regulated quarter brick

converter that provides 25 Amperes (A) of

output current (300W) with minimal derating

at elevated temperatures. The

FPQR48T01225 converter is targeted for

Intermediate Bus Architecture (IBA) and Dis-

tributed Power Architecture (DPA) in

telecommunications, WiMAX, data process-

ing, computing, and storage applications that

require a regulated 12V distribution bus.

The FPQR48T01225 converter operates

from a 36Vdc to 75Vdc input and provides a

tightly regulated 12Vdc output. It delivers up

to 25A with an efficiency in excess of 92.5%.

www.fdk.com

300W Regulated Isolated DC/DC

Thanks to an innovative production technolo-

gy from EPCOS, world market leader in ther-

mistors, PTC heating elements can now be

manufactured in injection molding technolo-

gy. As a result components can be made in

any nearly any desired shape, such as

tubes, nozzles or rotor blades of ventilators

and not only as round disks, rings or rectan-

gular plates as before. These custom-fitted

shapes open up many new applications for

ceramic heating elements.

Because the heating elements can be incor-

porated precisely where the heat is required,

they also avoid transmission losses and

save energy.

www.epcos.com

Injection-Molded Heating Elements


N E W P R O D U C T S

ABB Semi C3

AEPS 47

Ansoft 11

APEC 2009 43

Bicron 7

CT Concept Technologie 3

Danfoss Silicon Power 29

Eichhoff 41

EMV 45

Epcos 17

EPE 35

Fuji Electric C2

Infineon 15

International Rectifier C4

Intersil 5

Isabellenhütte 37

LEM 31

Magnetics 1

PCIM 19

Powersem 9

Texas Instruments 13

Vincotech 39

Würth 21

ADVERTISING INDEX

Intersil Corporation announced the

ISL9222A, a battery charger innovation

designed to detect auxiliary and external

power connections in mobile devices.

The ISL9222A is a high input, single cell, Li-

Ion battery charger IC that incorporates a

charger and digital logic (OR gate) into a sin-

gle chip. This compact package enables cus-

tomers to create small footprint solutions.

The ISL9222A’s high level of integration and

small size make it ideal for applications that

require overvoltage protection, test fixture

power detection or reverse blocking.

The ISL9222A accepts an input voltage up to

28V, but is disabled when the input voltage

exceeds the overvoltage protection threshold

(typically 7.2V) in order to prevent excessive

power dissipation. The 28V rating eliminates

the overvoltage protection circuit required

with a low input voltage charger.

www.intersil.com

Highly-Integrated Battery Charger for Portables

Infineon Technologies AG introduced two

new programmable linear Hall sensors

designed for use in automotive and industrial

applications requiring highly accurate rota-

tion and position detection. The new

TLE4997 and TLE4998 sensors offer the

highest accuracy of Infineon’s linear Hall

sensors and are fully automotive qualified.

Additionally, the TLE4997 sensor provides

unique temperature compensation and the

new TLE4998 sensor adds unique compen-

sation of stress over lifetime.

Both sensors are suited for a wide range of

applications. Automotive applications

include, for example, pedal and throttle posi-

tioning, suspension control, torque sensing

and gear stick position detection.

www.infineon.com/sensors

Linear Hall Sensors with Unique Temperature and Stress

These modules expand POWERSEM’s vast

family of single and three-phase rectifier

modules with screw, solder and fast-on con-

nectors.

The 17mm height modules are following the

trend in power modules, gradually replacing

the old 30mm profile height standard. The

17mm bridge rectifiers from POWERSEM

allow new product designs to be slimmer

while retaining the same power capacities.

The three phase Bridge Rectifier Modules

PSDS 62 (63A at 110°C, 800 to 1800V) and

PSDS 82 (88A at 110°C, 800 to 1800V) have

both screw connections.

The mechanical, electrical and thermal

parameters from the new PSDS 62 and

PSDS 82 are the same as our well-known

30mm PSD 62 and PSD 82.

This makes the transition to our new slimmer

rectifiers for many users much easier.

www.powersem.com

17mm profile height Bridge Rectifier Modules

Expanding on the company’s popular inte-

grated SWIFT™ family of DC/DC converters,

Texas Instruments Incorporated introduced a

new 65-V input, 1.5-A output step-down

switcher with integrated FET that achieves

significant energy savings in light-load effi-

ciency. The wide-input converter helps saves

up to 25 percent of board space compared

to competitive wide-input voltage solutions

and eases design in industrial and automo-

tive applications.

The TPS54160 non-synchronous buck’s 3.5-

V to 65-V input voltage range provides

designers flexibility in applications with input

transients. By leveraging TI’s innovative Eco-

modeTM light-load switching technique, the

converter is able to achieve a low 116-uA

operating current and 1.3-uA shutdown cur-

rent, resulting in longer system run-times

and a more efficient power system design.

www.ti.com

65-V SWIFT DC/DC Converter

Energy efficiency is our business

Power Semiconductors for:

Co-Generation

Wind Power

T & D

Industrial Drives

Traction

Marine Drives

FACTS

ABB Switzerland Ltd SemiconductorsTel: +41 58 586 1419www.abb.com/semiconductors

Power and productivityfor a better world™

Part NumberVDS

(V)ID

(A)

RDS(on) Max@ VGS=10V

(mΩ)

Qg(nC)

Package

IRF2804S-7PPBF 40 320 1.6 170 D2PAK-7

IRFP4004PBF 40 350 1.7 220 TO-247

IRF2804SPBF 40 270 2.0 160 D2PAK

IRF2804PBF 40 270 2.3 160 TO-220

IRFB3206PBF 60 210 3.0 120 TO-220

IRFS3206PBF 60 210 3.0 120 D2PAK

IRFP3206PBF 60 200 3.0 120 TO-247

IRFB3306PBF 60 160 4.2 85 TO-220

IRFP3306PBF 60 160 4.2 85 TO-247

IRFP4368PBF 75 350 1.8 380 TO-247

IRFB3077PBF 75 210 3.3 160 TO-220

IRFP3077PBF 75 200 3.3 160 TO-247

IRF2907ZS-7PPBF 75 180 3.8 170 D2PAK-7

IRFS3207ZPBF 75 170 4.1 120 D2PAK

IRFP4468PBF 100 290 2.6 360 TO-247

IRFB4110PBF 100 180 4.5 150 TO-220

IRFP4110PBF 100 180 4.5 150 TO-247

IRFS4310ZPBF 100 127 6.0 120 D2PAK

IRFP4310ZPBF 100 134 6.0 120 TO-247

• Tailored for Synchronous Rectifi cation

• Optimized for fast switching

• Up to 20% lower RDS(on)

*

• Up to 20% increase in power density*

• RoHS Compliant

• Lead Free

*Compared to previous generations

For more information call +33 (0) 1 64 86 49 53 or +49 (0) 6102 884 311or visit us at www.irf.com

Your FIRST CHOICEfor Performance

Lower RDS(on) Higher Performance

THE POWER MANAGEMENT LEADER

electronics in motion and conversion december 2008 in motion and conversion december 2008. ... role...

Documents